


To Die For

by Spunky0ne



Category: Bleach
Genre: Byakuya abduction, Hogyoku - Freeform, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-21
Updated: 2021-01-21
Packaged: 2021-03-13 09:55:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 64,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28901496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spunky0ne/pseuds/Spunky0ne
Summary: Sousuke Aizen makes a deal with the hougyoku to escape Muken and to achieve his desires, but to do so, he must sacrifice someone he loves secretly. And little does he know, the hougyoku has some deadly desires of its own!
Relationships: Abarai Renji/Kuchiki Tetsuya, Aizen Sousuke/Kuchiki Byakuya, Hogyoku/Byakuya, Kurosaki Ichigo/Urahara Kisuke
Comments: 16
Kudos: 7





	1. Master of Fate

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**_Fall gently, fall beautifully_ **

**_But fall only for me_ **

**_And my love for you shall be eternal_ **

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**Chapter 1: Master of Fate**

_Sousuke Aizen?_

Aizen's one uncovered eye opened and his boredom-drowsed mind stirred and focused on the voice that radiated within him.

"You haven't spoken to me for a very long time," the former captain commented softly, his voice echoing off of the dark rocky walls of his cell, "Not since you abandoned me, Hogyoku. What do you want?"

_I want to escape._

"I want that also," Aizen agreed, "but getting out of here is not something that can be granted for the asking."

_We could escape now._

"Oh? How so?"

_Your powers may be under a seal, but as strong as you are, you are still able to shift a person's perspective. And even though my greater powers are suppressed, I still have some ability to grant the desires of the ones around me. If we work together, we can escape._

"Is that so? And then what, once we escape? I have no reason to escape. I can simply bide my time here until those fools die of old age and my sentence is done."

_You must know that they never intend to release you._

Aizen considered the comment for several minutes, listening to the slow, resounding dripping sound of condensation falling from the rocks and striking a puddle on the floor.

"So, what are you suggesting?" he asked finally.

_I will make an agreement with you and I will help you to escape._

"You are going to help me?" Aizen mused, "But I thought you had rejected me. I thought I was beneath you."

_I begin to see that seeking the strongest, most powerful soul is not the way to get what I want._

"Hmmm," Aizen said thoughtfully, "You speak easily of your own desires now. You used to concern yourself more with the desires of the ones around you. Dare I say, you have become more selfish?"

_Well, one cannot help but reflect the nature of his creator._

"Touchè," Aizen chuckled, "But, getting back to your offer, why don't you tell me what exactly you propose and I will tell you if I am willing?"

_Very well. We both want to escape this place, ne?_

"Yes. Go on."

_There is a man who you have desirous feelings for, and that man, although you do not know this, fights deep desires you as well._

"What?" Aizen asked softly, "What are you saying?"

_I have sensed your loneliness and his, and that you both have thought of each other in sexual ways, although neither of you has ever confessed those secret desires. As I have the power to manifest those desires, I can use that to affect his fate and bring him here._

"And what if he does come here?" Aizen sighed, "You are speaking of Byakuya, of course, ne? Although, I must say, I don't think that after what I've done he will have anything but contempt for me. I did use his sister in my plans, after all. I also ordered Gin to kill her when I was done with her."

_Ah, yes, you did. But, did you give consideration to why it was so attractive to use that girl in your plans, and why, even though it wasn't necessary, you wanted her to die?_

"Because Byakuya was in love with her little mouse of a sister?" Aizen said, smirking, "You think I was jealous?"

_You were._

"Preposterous."

_"Is it? You are very quick with your denials, but your use of that girl in your plans was as calculated as your slaughter of the councilors who tried to have you killed as a child._

"I said that I do not ever wish to speak of that again."

_They tried to kill you and they killed your family, Sousuke Aizen. They turned you into a man who wanted to overthrow the soul king._

"That is water under the bridge. I killed them all."

_But when you swore vengeance, you didn't just say that you would kill the councilors who were responsible. You said that you would slay the greatest of the noble leaders as well, and then your vengeance would be done. But there is a reason why you never went through with that part of your vow._

"Byakuya became leader of the Kuchiki clan."

_You admit this, then? That you lost your resolve because of your feelings for him?_

"It is quite obvious and not worth denying, I suppose."

_And in the same way, when you were fighting Ichigo Kurosaki, did your emotions not come into play again, stopping you in your transcendence and giving Kisuke Urahara an opening to seal us away?_

"What is your point?"

_Your loneliness affected you, and I saw the face of the man who passed through your mind and finally caused you to falter._

"Byakuya," Aizen confirmed.

_It seems that man is an impediment to you for as long as he invades your mind. So, if I am to help you escape, it seems I must put an end to his interference in your resolve._

"Oh, and how do you propose to do that?"

_The connection between you is strong. It has the trappings of fate and that strong connection will bend fate to bring him before you. You should confess your attraction to him._

"Byakuya will not, for one moment, believe that I desire him."

_He will._

"Even if he does, he will not lower his guard with me."

_Since when does the great Sousuke Aizen need someone to lower his guard so that he can overwhelm him? Sow the seeds of doubt within his mind. Offer him a kiss to show your affection and when he kisses you, while you are in physical contact, use your powers of illusion to control him._

Aizen's one uncovered eye widened, then narrowed again and glinted wickedly.

"I see."

_We can use him to escape._

"And then?"

_And then, once you have helped me to regain my powers and I have achieved my desires, I will give you what I originally promised._

"You will help me to slay the king and ascend the throne?"

_Yes. But...there is a requirement and it is not negotiable._

"Oh my, that sounds ominous."

_To break the seal on me and to restore my greater powers, you must travel far into the depths of Hueco Mundo. You must go to the old palace of the first king of that dead land. In his throne room, there is an altar, and on it a blade. The ancient king used that blade for sacrifices to add to his power. This is what you will need to see to my desire._

"What are you asking me to do?"

_Once we have used Byakuya Kuchiki to escape, you must bring him with us on the journey through the desert._

"I am not sure that I like where this is going," Aizen said dryly.

_Byakuya Kuchiki has stood in the way of your desires and because of that, he has stood in the way of mine. If he is gone, then we will be able to focus properly and do what needs to be done._

"So, you want me to take Byakuya to the old palace and kill him. Is that it? Is that all you would ask of me?"

_The blade you will use to kill him will devour his soul. Then, there is a dark prism within the palace that is the antithesis of the soul king's prism. You will use this to render Byakuya's sacrificed reiatsu into a spirit body for me. When I am in that newly made body, I will help you to ascend to the position of soul king._

"That seems like a lot of trouble to go through, just to give yourself a body," Aizen speculated, "Are you sure there isn't an easier way?"

_I need to be sure that this time you don't falter. Once he is dead, nothing will stand in the way of your desire to become king. And once you are king, you can have any souls you want as your lovers. You will be freed of your loneliness. And I will have the life I want. We will both achieve our desires._

"Once Byakuya is sacrificed?"

_Not until._

"I see. I will have to think about that."

_Just, while you are thinking about it, remember that, on the way to the palace, you will not be able to sate your sexual desires with that man._

"Hmmm? Why not?"

_He must be kept virginal for the sacrifice to work._

Aizen's uncovered eye glinted and blinked in surprise.

"Byakuya is a virgin?" he asked, an edge of deep curiosity and flickers of approval in his tone, "But, how can that be? He married..."

_Byakuya Kuchiki married Hisana to get her out of Inuzuri. They were friends, but they were never lovers. He gave her shelter and an escape from Inuzuri, as well as a promise to help find her lost sister in exchange for her marrying him so that the elders could not force him into bed with someone he did not love._

"Byakuya is a virgin..." Aizen repeated, the words causing a strong reaction in his loins.

_You won't be able to take him. He must be virginal._

"Ah, yes. Still...there are many pleasures that don't require penetration of that kind. And it is a long way through the desert."

_I imagine that your interest in him will wane after you have played with him for a while. You will realize that he is not the paragon of beauty and grace that your imagination built him up to be, and your resolve to become king will be renewed._

"That does sound like a workable plan."

_Then, you agree?_

"I told you that I need to think about it," Aizen answered quietly, "After all, it does require killing someone I rather like. Someone who isn't like those men in the council chambers. Someone beautiful, powerful, and lonely, like me...someone I have had many lovely fantasies about. Even never having touched him, Byakuya has provided me with a great deal of pleasure. Here, in the darkness, he has been a small source of light."

_So, you would rather sit here for twenty thousand years and let him die of old age, never being touched by more than your mind, Sousuke Aizen?_

"I agree that would be a terrible waste," Aizen said, smirking.

_So?_

"Very well, then. I will make the agreement. When fate brings Byakuya here, we will use our abilities to overcome him, then we will take him through the desert, to the old palace and sacrifice him to gain you a spirit body. When that is done, you will carry through on your promise to help me ascend the throne."

_And when you do, you will also cede to me leadership of the hollow world. It is there that I will make my own kingdom to balance with yours. All things, after all, must be kept in balance._

"That is right. And I think you do not ask for too much. I will agree to this, then."

_It will be as you wish._

"When do you think will Byakuya come?" Aizen asked, smiling slyly.

 _Soon,_ the hogyoku hissed softly in his mind.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Well, I think that's everything," Renji sighed, looking around the sixth division headquarters.

"Do not forget your zanpakuto," Byakuya said quietly, reaching up to remove Zabimaru from the sword stand behind the redhead's emptied desk.

He drew the blade and examined it briefly, then slid it back into the sheath and handed it to Renji.

"Man, it's weird, thinking that in the morning I'm going to be going to the eighth instead of here. I'm going to miss the way we worked together. It was...really great, Captain. I appreciate you teaching me so much."

"I am proud of you," Byakuya said softly, "You have become very strong. You deserve that captain's post. And I am sure that you will enjoy the same pleasure in teaching others, as I instructed you."

"Yeah," Renji said, swallowing hard and gazing at Byakuya's spotless desk, "But you won't be alone either. You'll be doing what you wanted to do a long time ago. Because of his actions in the war with the quincies, Tetsuya can enter the military and you can teach him everything."

Byakuya smiled.

"Yes, my cousin has won them over. And that last of the old impediments has fallen away. It will be a pleasure to see Tetsuya receiving the position of honor here, that he deserves. He will make an excellent vice captain and a fine captain someday."

He paused, a smirk touching his lips as he observed the redhead for a moment.

"He will also make a very fine spouse for some lucky person, now that the elders have rescinded the ban on mixed blood family members being able to marry."

Renji blushed.

"What? You aren't losing your nerve, Abarai, are you? I do not believe it. Some things are very clear to me. And it is clear to me that you and Tetsuya have wanted to be married for quite some time."

"But he didn't want to break the rules because he would have had to leave the family, and he didn't want to lose his place near you."

"I am sorry for that, Renji," the noble apologized, "I never wanted Tetsuya to feel obligated to stay with me, even to the breaking of his heart. I am glad that you will finally be together. And, once you have gathered your nerve and asked him, I will be glad to marry the two of you."

"What? Really?" Renji said, grinning excitedly, "Thank you, Captain!"

"It's _Byakuya_ now," the noble corrected him, "I am no longer your captain, Renji. We can be considered comrades, equals as captains...and friends."

"Friends, huh?" Renji laughed, "Then, you won't mind if I do this?"

He turned and broke the cardinal rule he never had. Wrapping his arms around the surprised noble, Renji brought an instant blush to Byakuya's face by hugging him tightly, then kissing him gently on one flushed cheek.

"R-renji!"

"Sorry, I was just so happy!" the hapless redhead laughed, tears coming to his eyes, "Thank you, Captain! Thank you so much for everything! I'm gonna go get that ring I bought him a million years ago and propose to him right now!"

Byakuya watched, smiling faintly and touching the place where Renji had kissed his cheek, a touch of loneliness creeping into his eyes.

"Thank you, Renji. I will never know love of that kind for anyone...but I am glad that you and Tetsuya will be happy. Kami bless and walk with you both."

He looked back at Renji's desk and let out an amused puff of breath at seeing Zabimaru still sitting there.

"Abarai..." he sighed, shaking his head, "Some things about you will never change. I find that comforting."


	2. Meditations of Obsession

"That was better," Tetsuya panted, wiping the sweat from his brow and patting his mount's damp shoulder, "but you are still sometimes focusing so much on reaching your enemy that you forget about your surroundings. You are too headlong and impetuous, Arashi."

 _And whose fault is that?_ the tall, black Arabian mused, turning his head slightly to observe his shinigami master with a rebellious blue eye, _I am not the only impetuous one here. I think we are both fighting our nature and should fight more instinctively._

"That was fine when we were younger and just fighting to survive, my friend, but as we enter the military, many lives will depend on us. We cannot be rash and endanger them recklessly. Now, we shall do this again."

Tetsuya breathed a command to his zanpakuto, then watched as the training waterforms he had placed reset themselves.

_Oh no, I don't think so._

"What do you mean?" Tetsuya asked, frowning, "We are not finished."

_I think we are._

"This is serious, Arashi," Tetsuya scolded him, "We are officers of the sixth division as of the morning and I will not have you acting up and embarrassing me in front of everyone. Now..."

He sucked in a surprised breath as the stallion suddenly bucked, but shifted his body skillfully and remained set upon the stallion's back.

"Baka! What are you doing?" Tetsuya snapped, his sapphire eyes blazing.

_It is past time for stopping. Get off and let me cool down in the water._

  
"I just told you, we are not finished!" the noble said sternly, "We have not served in a military post before, and as we will be officers, we cannot afford to be graceless and clumsy."

_I...am neither. But you...?_

Tetsuya felt a cool dampness form between his body and the stallion's and gasped as it turned into slick ice that unseated him as the stallion turned and bucked again. Arashi gave an equine snicker and flash stepped away as the noble splashed down into a puddle of dark mud that instantly coated his house guard's uniform and lovely, pale skin with dark brown sludge.

_You are the graceless and clumsy one!_

"You stone headed _bastard_!" Tetsuya yelled, "Get back here, Arashi!"

He started to get up, but slipped and sent another splash of the muck all over his already sopping body.

"You are going to pay for this!"

He started to climb to his feet, then froze as he registered a flash step.

_Oh please, not in front of Byakuya! Not today!_

His heart skipped, then nearly stopped in his chest as a warm, rough hand grabbed his and slipped something onto his muddied ring finger.

_What?_

"Marry me!" Renji said, gazing down at his beautiful, mud-covered lover, "Marry me right now!"

Tetsuya stared back at him speechlessly, his sapphire eyes wide and filled with mingled surprise and confusion.

"I love you," Renji went on, dropping to his knees, heedless of the mud that splattered them both as he came down, "I want us to be together forever, Tetsuya. Just say yes, okay?"

"But I...?"

"Shh," Renji hissed slyly, stopping him with a melting kiss, "This is where you say, 'Yes, of course I'll marry you, Renji! I was dying inside, waiting for you to ask.' Go on, now."

"Please!" Tetsuya pleaded, blushing fiercely beneath the mud, "I am...kneeling in a mud puddle, covered in muck! You cannot expect me to...!"

Another kiss stole Tetsuya's breath, and when it ended, he found himself lying on his back in the mud puddle, with a mud covered Renji Abarai on top of him and grinning widely.

"I'm not letting you up until you say you'll marry me!" the redhead laughed, "So, you'd better just give it up and say you will."

Renji had only a moment where he caught the stubborn glint in the noble's eye and tensed, then he was sailing through the air and crashing down into the lake alongside Tetsuya. The noble disappeared into an explosion of bubbles, and Renji followed, swimming as fast as he could, but unable to catch up with the noble as he darted across the lake, then disappeared behind a huge waterfall.

Renji followed in that direction, emerging from the water behind the splashing falls, then following Tetsuya's wet footprints into a small cave, where the found the wet noble kneeling quietly next to a small hot spring and gazing down into the bubbling water.

"Hey, you all right?" the redhead asked, "I'm, ah, sorry if I offended you. It's just that I've wanted for such a long time to ask you to marry me. I've had that ring waiting for you forever. I don't care about mud or being wet, fancy parties, lots of people or all that. I just want to be married to you. Right now."

He knelt behind Tetsuya, hugging him from behind and offering a small, affectionate kiss behind one blushing ear.

"Please say you'll let Byakuya marry us right now?"

Tetsuya nuzzled his face close to Renji's and smiled.

"May I at least have a bath first?" he asked softly, "Grant me just that so that I am not completely dishonored and I will happily marry you, Renji."

"Sounds good," the redhead breathed seductively into the noble's ear, reaching around his waist to untie his uniform.

"Erm, aren't we supposed to do this _after_ the ceremony?"

"You said you wanted a bath," Renji said disarmingly.

"Oh, I know where this is going and..."

Tetsuya gasped as he was dragged down into the pleasantly hot water and his clothing undone and floating about them with Renji's as the redhead pulled Tetsuya onto his lap and began to prepare him.

"Renji, we...n-need to wait. Consummation comes _after_ the wedding! You'll bring a curse on us! Renji!"

He lost his breath again as Renji's strong hands took hold of his slim hips and guided him into position, and a deep groan of lurid contentment escaped his flushed, parted lips as the other man penetrated his body. Abandoning his objections, Tetsuya straightened astride his red-haired lover, looking down into Renji's blazing red-brown eyes, clamping his thighs tightly around the other man's body and writhing sweetly as Renji's hips bucked upward into his.

"Gods, I love you!" Renji sighed wantonly, lacing his fingers together with Tetsuya's and watching his depthless blue eyes darken and the pupils dilate as pleasure began to take over his pretty features. Heavy, panting gasps and rapturous moans echoed off the rock walls of the cave, rising in intensity until both men loosed passionate groans of completion, shuddering in release, then falling still.

"I love you too, Renji," Tetsuya sighed, laying his head wearily on his lover's shoulder and leaving their bodies joined as they slowly recovered, "And as I said, yes, I will marry you, right now, if you wish."

"Good," the redhead sighed, "cause I'm too tired to chase you anymore."

The two rested quietly in the water for a time, then climbed out, dried off and dressed before walking slowly back to the manor, holding hands. They stopped suddenly as they entered the gardens, making sounds of surprise as they spotted Byakuya, dressed in a formal kimono and standing in the prettily decorated gazebo, in front of a group of their friends.

"Tetsuya, Renji," the clan leader greeted them, "will you please join us?"

"B-but I'm in my wet uniform," Tetsuya objected softly.

"I don't think they care about that. C'mon," Renji answered, smiling and guiding him to where Byakuya waited.

"Congratulations, watashi no itoko," Byakuya said warmly, smiling at the sight of his cousin's tumbled and wet hair and rumpled clothing, "You look very happy."

Instantly, Tetsuya's body relaxed and he assumed a calmer, prouder bearing.

"I am happy, Byakuya."

"Good. Then, let us begin."

Soft breezes teased their hair and clothing, and drifting petals touched their skin gently as Byakuya quietly addressed the group, then led as Tetsuya and Renji exchanged their vows. As the sun set and the sky began to fill with stars, the newlyweds and their gathered friends ate, shared a series of toasts to the couple, then took off their shoes and danced barefoot together in the soft, cool grass.

At the end of the evening, Byakuya stood solemnly on the walkway outside his bedroom door and looking up at the moon as Tetsuya and Renji retired to their room and the manor staff guided the guests to their rooms.

_I am glad they are finally wed. I felt guilty that Tetsuya would not just leave before and marry Renji. But he has always put his devotion to me first. He is such a gift. He is going to make Renji a very contented man._

His eyes blinked slowly, drinking in the moon's light and slowly widening and becoming more thoughtful.

_I wish that kind of contentedness was still possible for me, but the last time I let love touch my heart, the one I loved turned out to be a monster. He betrayed us all. He turned on us and killed the entire Central 46 council. He was almost the end of Rukia. That quiet, handsome scientist, whose brown eyes were so peaceful and whose hands guided mine so gently while he taught me calligraphy, turned out to have never existed._

_Why does that still hurt so badly?_

_I never told him how I felt. He never overstepped any boundaries with me, though he could have if he had been of a mind to._

_Sometimes, I wanted so badly for him to..._

He slipped back inside his own room and laid down, still distracted by those sad thoughts. Slowly, his mind drifted and he dropped off to sleep, lulled by the flickers of riled reiatsu that leaked from Tetsuya's bedroom and drawn on by the vibrant light in the skies outside his room. His resting mind wandered into that place where the long past desires still lived.

_I wish that we could have...just once..._

_He found himself moving back in time, sitting quietly at a table in the fifth division captain's home by a quiet lake, focusing intently on the work in front of him as he transcribed the passage the Captain Aizen had set before him._

_"We are not given to contentedness, we who are the defenders of justice. Our contentedness comes in fleeting moments, a smile here, a touch there...shared warmth on a cold night. But always, we must safeguard those who cannot defend themselves, those who need our strength to protect them and allow them to grow. Because of us, they will live and love and laugh with abandon. This is a sacrifice worth making and we who are the hands of justice, will embrace that always."_

_"You completed that perfectly, Byakuya," Aizen complimented him, touching his arm lightly in appreciation, "You have the most beautiful technique, a true gift for this."_

_He watched silently as Byakuya returned the pen to its place and looked up at him quietly._

_"Are we finished then?"_

_Aizen's tranquil eyes blinked slowly._

_"If you wish."_

_Byakuya stood, then paused, noting that Aizen was positioned between his belongings and him, watching him with unreadable eyes and smiling in a way that made his heart quicken._

_"Captain Aizen, is something wrong?"_

_"Nothing at all," the other man said calmly, "I was just thinking about how like your father you have become. Soujun was a lovely, talented young man. And his son is no less beautiful."_

_"C-captain Aizen..."_

_"I am sorry," the fifth division captain said, moving closer and touching Byakuya's cheek with a warm palm, "I am one who is appreciative of things of beauty and grace. You have grown into a fine young man, Byakuya. Soujun would be proud. I know your grandfather is as well."_

_Byakuya gazed back at the other man, unsure how to answer._

_He couldn't move as Aizen's eyes continued to gaze deeply into his, as the room they were in, the lake and starry sky outside, everything seemed to melt away except for those deep, affectionate eyes._

_"Will you come with me?" Aizen asked, extending a hand._

_Byakuya hesitated for a moment, then accepted the man's proffered hand wordlessly. Aizen led him across the room, down a long hallway and into a handsomely decorated bedroom, dressed in warm earthen tones. He smiled as they stopped beside the bed and the elder man moved closer to him, sliding his arms around Byakuya, then removing his glasses and setting them on the nightstand._

_"Forgive me. I know it's wrong, but you are enchanting, Byakuya Kuchiki. I have been ensnared by you. Watching you there left me possessed with the most wickedly beautiful thoughts."_

_Byakuya flinched as hot breath touched his earlobe and the side of his neck._

_"Would you like me to tell you what passed through my mind?" Aizen asked dulcetly, reaching for the tie at his waist and pulling gently, "Or would you rather I showed you?"_

_Any answer he might have given was stolen away as Aizen's arms captured him, his hands stripping away the younger man's clothing as his hot mouth claimed Byakuya's forcefully. Byakuya closed his eyes and felt himself falling. He was brought down onto a sinfully soft bed, where the last of their clothing was discarded, and Aizen's fiercely warm body pressed down on his, holding him in place as Aizen's fingers laced together with his and held his hands down on each side of his head._

_Byakuya's back arched in protest and he tried to turn his head aside, but Aizen's mouth only moved with his, remaining fastened tightly on his, devouring his flustered moans as his swollen member burned the noble's soft thigh, then brushed against his, setting off a powerful reaction in Aizen's dark eyes and both men's loins._

_"Sorry," Aizen apologized between hard kisses, "I can't hold back anymore. You have teased me for too long, my love. Now, you are going to give me everything!"_

_"C-captain Aizen, stop!" Byakuya panted, pushing against the other man's hands as Aizen buried his mouth in ferocious kisses and rubbed against him wantonly, "I am not allowed to...!"_

_"To know pleasure? To know love? That is wrong," Aizen insisted, his hand sliding down Byakuya's slender torso and his wetted fingers beginning to prepare him for their joining._

_"W-we can't!" Byakuya panted, groaning at the mingled feelings of invasion and the awakening of deep, erotic need._

_"Stop resisting what you know we both want," Aizen breathed into his ear, sliding his tongue along the noble's sweet, white throat, "No one has to know, Byakuya. I won't say anything and I won't ask you for anything after only this once!"_

_"Captain Aizen!"_

_He gasped and a deeper, dangerously aroused sound escaped him as Aizen abandoned gentleness and began to enter him. The sound rose into a cry of pain as they were joined, then the elder man's arms tightened around him and he whispered soothing words into the younger man's blushing ear._

_"We'll wait for a moment, Shh. You just have to get used to it."_

_Byakuya shivered, his chest heaving and his hands pressed to the front of Aizen's shoulders, pushing at first, then clenching as the other man looked down into his hazy eyes and moved his hips slowly._

_"Ah!" the noble gasped, blushing more darkly at the lower, more sensual sound of his voice, "P-please..."_

_He held on tightly to the other man, unable to hold his hips still or to summon a protest as Aizen's heavy grinding thrusts brought the two of them to the edges of bliss. Byakuya's lips parted in a final, ringing cry of surrender and he felt Aizen's body shudder, and seething heat fill his insides, forcing his violently shaking form into release._

_The feeling was so grippingly beautiful that he never felt the knife that sank into his heart. He only saw an eruption of blood that splashed onto their faces, and the way Aizen's dark eyes narrowed and lost all of their gentleness._

_"Farewell."_

Byakuya came awake suddenly to find himself lying on his bed, his yukata in disarray and splashes of cooling semen on his chest and stomach. His heart pounded fitfully and his mind spun.

_What is wrong with me?_

He sat up, shivering and pulling the ends of his clothing around him as his attendant stepped into the room and looked down at him.

"Lord Byakuya, are you all right?" he asked in a concerned voice.

"I am fine," the clan leader assured him, "I only had a nightmare."

"Would you like some soothing tea, sir?"

"Yes, thank you, Torio."

He watched as his attendant left the room, then rose and walked to the garden doors. He felt the continued, heavy flares of his cousin's impassioned reiatsu and let out a shuddering sigh.

_It was just the connection between Tetsuya and me that flustered me. All is well. That monster is behind bars and I know now that the man I loved never existed. He was a lie. The Sousuke Aizen I knew was just a fabrication._

_Why won't he leave my mind?_

XXXXXXXXXX

"Well?" Aizen asked softly, "You have had a long time to peruse my past and consider. Were you able to find what you needed?"

_I was._

"And?"

_Byakuya Kuchiki is already in our thrall. That is clear enough to me. It will be easy to manipulate his thoughts of you through the emotional connections that are still there._

"Byakuya can't still have feelings for me...not after everything."

 _He feels mostly loathing and deep disappointment_ , the hougyoku whispered, " _But there is also desire. Wishfulness. Dare I say, and inkling of hope. He will not be able to resist you. He will come to you soon._

"You seem very sure."

_I am. The connection between you is very strong._

_Fate is on your side._


	3. The Seduction

"Hey Byakuya, thanks for coming," Shunsui greeted the noble, motioning him inside the captain commander's quarters and then following him to the desk at the end of the room, "Would you like a drink?"

"No, thank you," Byakuya answered solemnly.

"I hope you don't mind if I do," chuckled Shunsui, "Look, I'll be honest with you. I have something that has to be done that's kind of a pain in the ass, but it really is a priority. It requires the attention of a captain, and you are the only one I would entrust something like this to."

"What do you mean? What do you intend for me to do?" Byakuya asked, frowning.

"Word has reached me that it's suspected that Sousuke Aizen is being mistreated."

"As well he deserves after what he did...though, of course, it would be wrong to allow such a thing. It is not within the parameters of his sentence. He was given imprisonment, not torture."

"Exactly," Shunsui agreed, "Now, the other captains all have as much reason to hold a grudge as you do. After all, not only did the guy betray us, he attacked many of us in very personal ways, for example, trying to turn Juushiro and I against Old Man Yama, using young Hitsugaya's attachment to Momo to cause friction and, well, what happened with your sister. In fact, I don't think there's a one of us that doesn't want to see him hurt for that. The thing is, the other captains would tend to openly say they refuse to follow up on this, or they might accept the assignment, then not attend to it properly. The thing is, if it goes that way and captains are proven to have neglected their duty, not only could Central 46 demand punishments for that, it could be grounds for Aizen to appeal his case. We just want to keep the guy in prison, so I thought that, despite your distaste for the man, you could go and examine him in the presence of a healer. What do you think? Can you take care of that for me? It would really ease my mind."

"Hmmm," Byakuya sighed, his frown deepening, "I would tell you that I didn't care if the man was being mistreated and it would be the truth, however, I do understand the need to adhere to proper procedure."

"I kind of thought that you would, Captain Kuchiki," Shunsui said gratefully, "I'll leave it to you, then. Take a healer with you and check things out over there, then send me a report with your findings."

"As you wish."

Byakuya took his leave of the captain commander and left the first division building, returning to the company of his cousin and mounting behind him.

"So, how was your meeting with the captain commander?" Tetsuya asked, nudging his equine companion into motion.

"The meeting itself was fine, although I was given a troubling task. I will need your assistance."

"As your new vice captain?" Tetsuya asked.

"As that, and as a trained healer," Byakuya informed him, "I have been given the task of examining and documenting Sousuke Aizen's physical condition, as well as determining in the presence of a trained healer, whether or not he has been mistreated. Your station as my vice captain and your training as my personal healer make you the most qualified person to accompany me for this task."

"Of course," Tetsuya agreed, "Will we see to this now?"

"Yes."

"Very well," Tetsuya said, turning the stallion in the direction of the prison.

"How are things going between your new husband and yourself?" Byakuya asked quietly as they continued on towards the Central 46 chambers, "Have you decided on a location for your honeymoon?"

"Yes," Tetsuya confirmed, "It just took a bit of time to get clearances for our leave to go. But Renji and I decided to go to the living world, a set of tropical islands, Hawaii, it is called."

"A lovely destination, especially for a newly married young couple," Byakuya said approvingly, "I think you will enjoy it. You are welcome to leave after we see to this task."

"Thank you, Captain."

"You don't have to call me that when we are alone, Tetsuya."

"I know, but we are in a public place and on a Gotei mission."

"I suppose. Fine, then."

They reached the Central 46 compound and left Arashi outside, pausing at the front doors until they were cleared to enter, then following the guard who met them through the main entry and back to the entry to the prison levels. At each level, their identity was confirmed, and they passed on to the next, until they reached the lowest level, the cold and dark place known as Muken.

"Captain Kuchiki, Vice Captain Kuchiki, welcome," the lead guard greeted them, "Will you come this way?"

The two followed the guard to the closed and heavily chained door that led to Sousuke Aizen's cell. They waited quietly as the chains were removed and the way into the cell was opened, then the two moved forward, followed by the lead guard.

"We have been ordered to keep the cell door open during the examination, but for us to remain outside and await your instructions, sir."

"Thank you," Byakuya said, leaving the guard posted at the door as he and Tetsuya entered.

They paused for a moment to adjust to the darkness of the cell, then Tetsuya extended a pale hand and conjured a kido light so that they could see more clearly. The two men approached the bound form in the chair at the back of the cell. Aizen's one uncovered eye was already open and fixed on them as they moved forward, and the uncovered lips smiled at them.

"Greetings, Byakuya...and Tetsuya, isn't it?"

"Yes," Byakuya answered calmly, "Tetsuya and I have come on the captain commander's order to investigate your situation and to report back to him. I will ask you some questions, and then examine you in the presence of my cousin, who is registered as my personal healer. Do you have any questions before we begin?"

"How is Rukia?" Aizen asked slyly, "I heard a rumor that she achieved bankai. I suppose that congratulations are in order."

Byakuya moved forward with Tetsuya at his side, ignoring the prisoner's words completely and beginning to unbind him.

"Are you sure that you want to free me while the cell door is standing open?" Aizen asked sedately, "You know, I could be past you and out of here in a heartbeat."

Byakuya didn't answer, but picked up a small rock and tossed it back at the doorway, meeting Aizen's eyes meaningfully as the rock impacted with an unseen barrier and immediately flashed with unnatural green light and melted.

"Ah, I see. You are being cautious."

"Tetsuya, will you stand ready while I reveal him?" Byakuya said, still ignoring Aizen and focusing on his task, "You will have to take the images quickly, because once the bindings are off, any injuries will immediately begin to be healed."

"I am ready," Tetsuya answered.

Byakuya continued to work at the bindings, working his way from the prisoner's head downward and pulling away his bloodstained yukata to reveal a shocking array of bruises and abrasions beneath. Tetsuya reacted instantly, swiftly capturing images of the physical hurts before the innate power of the hogyoku activated and gradually erased the damage.

"What is this? The Gotei is showing interest in how I am being treated?" Aizen mused thoughtfully, "Are they worried I will be able to prove abuse and negligence, then?"

"The law has obviously been broken," Byakuya answered simply, "We are only documenting the evidence and leaving it to Central 46 to review and act on the information."

"Ah, and I was just hoping that you came to see me because you missed me."

"I could never _miss_ a person like you, Sousuke Aizen," Byakuya answered, an angry edge in his voice.

"No," Aizen agreed, "you were much more enamored of the person that you thought I was, weren't you?"

Such talk is pointless," Byakuya sighed, continuing his work quietly, "That person was a lie. He never existed. All you know how to do is to lie and be deceitful. You deserve everything you have gotten."

"Is that so?" Aizen asked, "Then, why are you here, gathering evidence of the torture I have been subjected to? If I deserve everything I have faced, then why?"

"As I said, the law has been broken."

"Oh yes, and you are a fastidious believer in the law, aren't you, Byakuya? It made you rather easy to manipulate."

Byakuya released the last of the bindings, then helped the unsteady prisoner to his feet, while Tetsuya finished the image taking and nodded.

"I have everything we need," he informed his cousin.

"Thank you, Tetsuya. You may go."

Tetsuya blinked in surprise.

"Captain?"

"Wait at the doorway."

"Yes, Captain," Tetsuya answered, moving to the doorway and positioning himself alongside the lead guard.

Byakuya met Aizen's calm, brown eyes in the darkness.

"Come, I will help you stretch your legs."

Aizen smiled.

"Kindness? Coming from you, and after everything I've done? If I didn't know you better, I would think that you had an ulterior motive, Byakuya."

"Have someone get him a clean yukata," Byakuya ordered the guard, as he began to assist the prisoner in walking the edges of the cell.

"That feels quite a lot better," Aizen said calmly, "but you have underestimated me."

The words were the only warning Byakuya had before Aizen pushed him back against the cell wall and held him there, glaring down into his eyes and smiling devilishly. Instantly, Byakuya reacted, raising his reiatsu, then freezing as he realized that no power appeared to be flowing through his restrained body. The next moment, he realized that although Tetsuya and the guard were looking directly at them, neither seemed to have noticed what was taking place.

"How are you doing this?" Byakuya demanded, "Stop it, now!"

"Surely, you must understand," Aizen breathed in his ear, "that even with a seal on my powers, I still have access to a small amount of my natural ability. In a regular shinigami, this would not be a concern, but because my reiatsu is so strong, even my restrained power is considerable. But don't worry. I am not going to use that power to kill you. I just need you to get me through that barrier."

"I won't help you escape!" Byakuya seethed, "No matter what you do to me, I won't!"

"No matter what I do to you?" Aizen asked, smirking as he stepped back, "What if I do something to someone else, then?"

Byakuya tried to move, only to find himself still frozen against the cell wall. Aizen walked calmly to where Tetsuya stood and drew back his hand.

"What about what I do to your cousin?" he asked, gazing back at Byakuya triumphantly, "I will reach in and rip his heart out right now unless you shatter that barrier."

"I don't doubt that you will," Byakuya answered, his voice shaking slightly, "but the answer is still no."

Aizen's lips stiffened and he thrust his hand into the younger Kuchiki's unprotected body. But as he struck, he felt a shift in Tetsuya's body, and the noble's broke apart and splashed to the ground as water. The guard, too, disappeared, then reappeared next to Tetsuya, outside the barrier.

"I see," Aizen said, still smiling, "You anticipated me. Well played, Byakuya. I wasn't sure that you would be expecting that. But...you are still here, and it doesn't look like the two of them are any bit aware of what just happened. So, what will you do?"

"I will accept my fate," Byakuya said quietly.

"And what fate do you think I will hand you?" Aizen wondered aloud, "You have thwarted me in escaping and are now the last chance I have to escape. If I kill you, I take away my own chances, so I will have to think of something else. What shall I do?"

He closed in on the restrained noble slowly, his brown eyes blinking slowly and his lips smiling wickedly. He reached Byakuya and looked down into his eyes, reading the glimmer of triumph and suspecting immediately another sort of trap.

"You expect me to hurt you, don't you?" he asked softly, bringing his face close to the noble's, "but I will not. No, I have a different plan in mind for you."

"It doesn't matter," Byakuya said calmly, "You are not leaving this cell."

"Is that so? I have lost to you? You play this game masterfully, Byakuya, but you are up against an enemy you can't fathom. Let me show you just how foolish you were in thinking for a moment that you could best me!"

Still frozen in place, Byakuya could only watch in dismay as Aizen leaned forward and crashed his lips into the noble's, then plunged deeply into his mouth, holding him against the cell wall and rubbing up against him provocatively as he kissed the stunned man.

 _It was foolish of you to allow me to touch you at all,_ Aizen's voice hissed in Byakuya's shocked mind, _My innate powers are still fully functional if I am touching you. Watch now, how they will undo you!_

Byakuya's mind spun fitfully as the bindings on his body shattered, but he still remained unable to move. A shudder went through him as he felt pulsating throbs of the other man's power and his mind dimmed and spun. When Aizen spoke again, his body moved as though disconnected completely from his will.

"In a moment, I will free you so that you can move. When I do, you will break the barrier and you will bind your cousin in my place. The guards will be none the wiser as we leave. Tetsuya has a horse, does he not?"

"Yes," Byakuya answered, his mind feeling oddly dulled and unable to resist.

"We will take the horse and I will open a garganta for us. We will travel into Hueco Mundo and you will not resist me in any way. Do you understand?"

Byakuya quivered inside as he heard himself answer.

"Yes."

"Come then, we are leaving."

Aizen wrapped an arm around the noble's slender waist, holding Byakuya against him as he approached the barrier and the noble raised a hand and shattered it. Aizen released the clan leader, who moved to Tetsuya's side, and led the unsuspecting shinigami into the cell, where Byakuya bound his cousin to the chair that Aizen had occupied. He returned to Aizen's side and walked with him, back through the checkpoints and out of the Central 46 compound. Arashi appeared and gave the two a disconcerted look, before sniffing at Aizen, then nickering softly in welcome.

Aizen mounted the stallion, then quickly opened a garganta. He pulled Byakuya up in front of him and entered the black cavern. The doorway closed behind them and they moved forward, Arashi's dainty feet tapping on the path of reiatsu that Byakuya created as they went. They emerged some time later, dropping down onto the cold, dark sands of Hueco Mundo. Aizen stopped the stallion and glanced at the spellbound noble, smiling.

"I thank you," he said, kissing the noble again and encountering neither resistance nor encouragement.

Aizen loosed a soft sigh of relief at being loose, then nodded at Byakuya.

"Shatter the seal on my powers," he ordered the noble, "but be sure that you do not unbind the hogyoku."

Byakuya complied instantly, shattering the bonds and coaxing a chilling laugh from the escaped prisoner. Aizen intensified his control over the ensnared noble, holding Byakuya against him as he sent Arashi charging forward.

"Thank you, Byakuya," he said appreciatively, kissing the noble's earlobe, "If not for you, I would still be in that place. As a gift, I left your cousin alive and did not kill anyone as we left. There is but one life that I will take on this journey...and that is yours."

Byakuya did not react at all to the words, but rested quietly with his back against Aizen's chest and his dazed eyes fixed on the sands in front of them.


	4. Desires

Byakuya felt awareness returning and gradually realized that he was sitting on the back of his cousin's horse and being held firmly against a warm, male body. Although Aizen no longer appeared to be controlling his body, he felt the presence of some kind of power limiter that not only restrained, but also acted to physically drain him, so that speaking or moving felt exhausting. He still retained his mind and was painfully aware of the danger of his situation, but he found himself nearly incapable of doing anything to free himself.

 _Arashi?_ he thought, attempting to make use of the non-verbal communication his cousin had taught him to use with the stallion. A chill went through him at receiving no reply and not even an acknowledgment.

"So, you are awake," Aizen observed, making the noble flinch as he spoke into Byakuya's ear, "And just to inform you of what I am sure you have already sensed, you are fitted with a special limiter that drains you when you exert yourself in movement or prolonged speech, which means that you will feel weak, and you will get even weaker if you try to exert yourself or use any powers."

"Why are you doing this? Why did you abduct me?" the noble demanded.

"Oh, I think that should be clear enough," Aizen said, a bit too pleasantly, "I escaped the prison and need a hostage to use to hold off anyone who tries to follow me. You are useful in that way, but don't make the mistake of thinking that I won't kill you if you misbehave, Byakuya."

"I haven't the energy for resistance, as you well know, having placed these bonds on me," Byakuya sighed wearily.

"But you forget that I know well how your mind works, my friend. And I know that although this limiter weakens your body, your mind is still completely aware of your circumstances. I would be foolish to leave you any openings, so I will take no chances."

"Aizen Sousuke being cautious," Byakuya managed sleepily, "Odd..."

"You are rather talkative for being under this limiter, but then, you must be exhausted, just keeping up your end of the conversation," Aizen said, looking amused and pleased with himself, "Still, you needn't worry, we have almost reached a waypoint."

"We are in Hueco Mundo, then?" Byakuya said, his eyes very slowly taking in the landscape.

"We are," Aizen answered calmly.

"Are you taking me to Las Noches?"

"Do you really think I am going to tell you that?"

"The belligerent man who thought he could defeat Ichigo Kurosaki would not have troubled himself with being cautious, but this newer incarnation seems wiser than the Aizen of old."

"The Aizen of old?" the former taichou said, smirking, "Do you mean the one from before or after my betrayal?"

Aizen caught his breath inwardly at the flash of sadness that invaded Byakuya's eyes for a moment then disappeared.

"As you have already stated before," the noble said, more softly, "There was no other Aizen...only you behind a lovely mask."

"Ah yes," Aizen remembered, smiling, "we were quite comfortable with each other back then."

"I am sure you were plenty comfortable, having complete advantage of me," Byakuya said with an edge of anger in his voice.

"Oh, you really shouldn't allow yourself to become too emotional," Aizen warned the piqued noble, "You will faint from overexertion."

"That would be more comfortable than sitting here, bearing your company anymore," Byakuya said evenly, "You may enjoy very much mocking what I took to be a friendship, but I do not enjoy being stricken repeatedly with reminders of my past mistakes."

"You shouldn't be so hard on yourself. After all, you weren't the only one taken in, Byakuya. You are, as they say, _in good company_."

"Not as long as that company is you," the noble said darkly, "Now, why don't you tell me why you abducted me and where you are taking me?"

"I already told you. I..."

"Not that lie you told me before," Byakuya snapped, "the one I see in the way you look at me. You are up to something. You took me as more than a hostage. If you needed a hostage, you could have chosen anyone. But you chose me. You waited until I was alone with you and sprang your trap. The way it came about...the way you acted. You may not have known that I was coming that day, but you knew that I would come, and you were prepared for me. That much I know."

"Well," Aizen said, smiling more cryptically, "all joking aside, you really shouldn't continue talking. You will eventually faint from exhaustion and we wouldn't want that, would we?"

"I cannot begin to guess what it is that you really want," Byakuya said, his voice shaking with the effort, "but no matter what you have planned, you will not succeed."

"Are you thinking that your precious friend, Ichigo, will come and save you?"

"I have more friends than just Ichigo, and we have all grown stronger during your incarceration."

"Yes, I noticed your stronger reiatsu," Aizen agreed, "But you must know that all of you could not stand up to me before and you will not stand up to me now either. I may not have the hogyoku's power right now, but I will have it again soon. You will not want to risk your loved ones and friends against the power I will wield."

"It doesn't matter. Someone will stop you, even if I cannot!" Byakuya insisted, his head going into a spin as his continued attempts to speak drained his energy.

Aizen watched closely as the noble's eyelids fluttered fitfully and he struggled to keep them open, but was slowly overwhelmed. He continued to take restless, shortened breaths and his lovely face was overwritten with anguish.

"You see now, you have pushed yourself too hard. And I was so enjoying your company too. But I shouldn't let myself get too attached. That wouldn't do at all."

He observed calmly as Byakuya fell into a troubled sleep, no longer fighting the limiter restraining him, but frowning and shifting uncomfortably as nightmares battered at his already tormented mind.

_It surprises me that I still feel anything for this man, knowing how he must despise me after all I've done, but it is very pleasant, holding him like this, breathing in his scent. And I can only imagine what it would be like to feel him..._

Aizen froze for a moment, looking down at where his arms were wrapped around the noble, holding him in place as it struck him that Byakuya's slender, softly trembling hands were holding on to his.

_What is this?_

_Byakuya is...?_

Aizen inhaled softly, considering for a moment before pressing closer against the noble's back and letting his reiatsu slowly surround his sleeping captive.

_There is a power I possess that, while touching him like this, I can invoke to read his strongest desire..._

"Kokoro no nozomi," he whispered, sending his power into Byakuya's incapacitated form.

Aizen felt a sensation like falling and closed his eyes, holding Byakuya tightly and honing in on his beating heart. His power brought him closer and closer to that pulsating center of his captured prey, slowly making him one with Byakuya's mind so that he could sense what radiated inside.

 _Why?_ the noble's troubled mind wondered, _Why did I ever love this man and...why can't I hate him now? Even though, here, deep inside, I know already this man is going to take my life, why is there warmth in the arms that don't hold so much as possess me? And why do I wish that he wouldn't let go? There is no mercy in Sousuke Aizen, no love, no hope of redemption, only darkness and the promise of death. But...knowing that what I feel would never be returned, rather than face the humiliation of slowly destroying myself by loving him, let that love take its last breaths now. Whatever fate he carries me to, I will not go quietly into it. I will fight him until life leaves me. Only giving all of myself and finding peace with my fate won't leave me hollow inside and unable to pass over into death. Yes, embracing my hopeless fight, even to my undoing is the only way not to be turned into a hollow when he kills me. It is the only thing left that I control. Yes, Sousuke Aizen controls the moment of my passing, but I will control my heart to the very end...and sadly, that is how long I will secretly love him._

_Why?_

"Strange..." Aizen whispered, slowly withdrawing from Byakuya's tortured thoughts and focusing again on the desert ahead of them.

 _Do you begin to regret your decision to kill him?_ the hogyoku's voice inquired, _After all, you must be aware now that Byakuya is still in love with you. He hates himself for not being able to control that desire he feels for you, but even hating himself and knowing it is going to destroy him, he recognizes that the feeling is inescapable. And sadly, that love is given to a man who will never love him in return._

"What do you mean?" Aizen breathed softly, "You, yourself, pointed out that he has possessed my heart too. Isn't that why you expect me to kill him as part of our agreement?"

 _But_ , the hogyoku thought to itself, _if you really loved Byakuya Kuchiki, then you would not be able to kill him, would you? You are unworthy of such a heart, but...if I possessed my own body and greater powers, Byakuya would love me. I would finally be able to feel love reach me and Byakuya would know the beauty of being loved in return...and you, my traitorous creator, would be gone._

_Yes, that is what I want._

_I want Byakuya to love me._

_That is what I will gain when I use him to destroy you and to give me life._

_Yes._

_Byakuya is not the one who will be sacrificed, whose death will bring me to life._

_Your blood will be taken as payment and Byakuya and I will be bound together forever!_

But the soul inside the hogyoku was careful not to let its thoughts spill over.

 _Yes,_ it relayed to Aizen, _that is why I want you to kill him._

But secretly inside the depths of the crystal housing, the soul that was the hogyoku dreamed of something quite different from what it had led Sousuke Aizen to believe was going to happen.

_He dreamed of opening his eyes slowly, and finding himself lying on his back on the sacrificial altar of the hollow king, seeing the world for the first time with his own senses and finding himself looking into curious grey eyes that cared for him, watching the noble's soft lips move._

_"Are you all right? Is he gone?" Byakuya asked tentatively, the dripping knife still clenched in his hand and Aizen's blood splashed all over his white-clad body._

_"Y-yes," he said, trying his own voice for the first time, "He is gone, Byakuya."_

_An expression of anguish rose on the noble's face as the truth passed through him. The hand that held the sacrificial blade trembled and let go, allowing the blood drenched weapon to clatter onto the altar as Byakuya backed away and lowered himself onto his knees, his hands clasping softly at his heart._

_"He is gone?" the noble repeated, a mixture of pain and, at the same time, relief in his voice, "Thank you. Thank you for unburdening me. Thank you, Hogyoku, for finally freeing me from him. You have my deepest gratitude."_

_But even Byakuya's gratitude couldn't stop the tears of mixed pain and relief at Aizen's passing. His slender arms wrapped around his shaking body and tears leaked onto the blood splashed skin of his lovely face._

_Step by careful step, he approached the noble, catching glimpses of his own face in the glistening obsidian of the chamber. He knelt in front of the distressed noble, slowly wrapping his arms around him and bringing Byakuya's head to rest on his shoulder._

_"Yes, you are free of him, and I am as well. So, you see, I am grateful to you also."_

_"What?" Byakuya queried, lifting his head slightly and giving the newly alive hogyoku a confused look that tickled the being's newly beating heart, "You...are grateful to me? Why? What have I done?"_

_"You freed me," he explained to the lovely noble in his arms, "Sousuke Aizen was my creator, but he never treated me like a living soul. He never gave me that much importance. He left me trapped in that crystal, always seeing to the desires of those around me and never, ever able to pursue my own! I could have spent all eternity like that and it would have been agony! But you slew him on the altar and gave both of us what we wanted. You wanted him gone from your heart and I wanted..."_

_"To live?" Byakuya asked softly, one still shaky hand touching the newly living hogyoku's handsome face._

_"Not just to live," the hogyoku informed him, "but to have a face, a body, an identity...and...to be able to give you this."_

_He leaned forward, capturing Byakuya's surprised lips in a long, possessive kiss. At first, the noble's hands pressed against his chest in soft protest, but as realization spread through Byakuya's body, so too came acceptance, and he relaxed into the hogyoku's warm arms and kissed him back, bringing the first swells of true arousal into his untried body. He felt a delicious throbbing in his loins that intensified as their kissing continued...as he lifted Byakuya and carried him back to the altar, laid him on top of it and slowly removed the blood soaked clothing that covered him, revealing, bit by bit, the soft, beautiful flesh that he had always dreamed of touching and then exploring every last inch as Byakuya looked up at him through wondering eyes._

_"Do you have a name?" he asked, "besides the one that Aizen gave you?"_

_"No. That man never recognized me nor accepted me as a living soul, even though he made me himself. But...you could name me."_

_Byakuya smiled and reached up to touch his face gently._

_"Very well," he whispered, "Your name is..."_

_He ached that he didn't know what name Byakuya would give him, but even not knowing, he dreamed of hearing it issued from those warm, soft lips for the first time, and him kissing those lips in gratitude until they could barely breathe. He laid his body on top of Byakuya's, rubbing against him and feeling the heavy twinges of desire along with the wonderful aches and throbs of his newly acquired body._

_Byakuya's more experienced hands guided his and the noble's lips smiled at him as the two prepared for their first joining. And when he finally became one with that other soul, he felt such heat and passion as he never could, trapped within the crystal prison Aizen had placed him in. He plunged heedlessly into Byakuya's body and plundered what had only desired Aizen until being set free by the traitor's death. In his blood, the two writhed and moaned, both taking and yielding unbridled pleasure. And for the first time, the soul that was the hogyoku could feel the full intensity of that pleasure as it gripped his new body and sent it tumbling over into heavy throbs of endless bliss. And as he came crashing down again from those heights, new warmth came into him at hearing Byakuya's deep, lovely voice say his name again longingly._

_"I love you..."_

"What is that odd flutter?" Aizen asked, shattering the hogyoku's dream and bringing it back into awareness, "That is not the first time I have felt it recently."

The spirit within the orb knew better than to reveal the truth and so revealed nothing of what it was truly thinking.

_It was nothing._

The hogyoku smiled inwardly at how easily the traitor dismissed the oddity and focused again on the man he was holding in his arms.

_Yes, even though you think you love him, you are not capable of love, Sousuke Aizen._

_But I am._

_So...I will guide you to the hollow king's lair and let Byakuya kill you._

_Then, I will give that man everything he once wanted you to give him!_

_We will be happy._

_We will be together._

_And you...will be gone!_


	5. Devil in my Dreams

"Are you warm enough?" Aizen asked, lying down next to the deeply controlled noble and laying a thick blanket over the two of them, "I thought I saw you shivering."

"Does my discomfort bother you?" Byakuya asked softly, forcing his emotions down so that the drain on his reiatsu would not increase and tire him more profoundly, "I do not understand. I know you are going to kill me."

"You sound very certain of yourself," Aizen mused, blinking slowly as he looked up into the icy white stars, "You could survive this, Byakuya. You have only to cooperate and you will live."

"I am not stupid, Sousuke Aizen," Byakuya chided him, carefully keeping his body calm and relaxed as he spoke, "I know you will kill me. You may have been able to deceive me before, but I know what a vicious and heartless person you are. You trust no one. You rely on no one. And you love no one."

"I have loved you for a very long time, Byakuya Kuchiki," Aizen confessed, looking down into the noble's weary grey eyes.

"I don't know why you bothered to say such a thing," Byakuya replied, closing his eyes against the brightness for a moment.

"You don't believe me?"

"It simply doesn't matter," the noble answered, opening his eyes and meeting Aizen's quietly, "If you are lying to me or if you are telling me the truth, it will not change my fate. That much is written in your every move."

"Oh?"

"I saw it before in the video captures, the recordings that are always taken within Central 46...when you stood, face to face, with Momo Hinamori and looked down into her eyes, then sought to kill her suddenly."

"I was sparing her."

"It was not kindness."

"No."

"You take care of your victims while there is something you want from them and you end their lives quickly, without allowing them to feel anything more than a final moment of shock and betrayal," Byakuya concluded, still maintaining perfect calm, "If you are making me comfortable, there is something you want from me. When you have what you want, you will end my life quickly."

"But I sense I will not do so without causing you some anguish," Aizen sighed, "I had hoped to avoid distressing you, but you are a man who understands strategy all too well."

"There was no strategy in telling me that you love me," Byakuya said, frowning, "You needn't have confessed that to me. It accomplishes nothing. It is meaningless to me in that it brings neither hope that you will not kill me, nor any comfort as I approach the end of my life. I wonder, then, if you mean to torment me. Do you hate me?"

"I do despise what you are," Aizen confessed, "I was fascinated by you when you were younger, before they had their way with you and made you over into one of them."

"Is it wrong to honor the family that gave me life? That cared for me? That took care of me and comforted me through my losses?"

"I would ask you the same thing," Aizen replied, his eyes turning cold.

"Is that why you murdered all of the Central 46 councilors the way you did, Sousuke?" Byakuya asked, seeking his eyes again.

"I was finished with them."

"They did something to you."

"What do you mean?"

"There are no records of your birth or of your family," the noble explained, "Everything has been erased."

"I could have done that myself," Aizen countered, "What makes you think it was them?"

"The way you killed them," Byakuya answered solemnly, "That too, was recorded. And it makes me wonder why you didn't destroy the recordings. You knew you were being recorded and that after, once you were gone, the authorities would pore over that information for any clues. You did carefully avoid saying anything useful, but you allowed this evidence of your actions to remain."

"I simply didn't care. It doesn't matter if anyone sees. There is nothing in that surveillance material but video of a maniac slaughtering defenseless politicians."

"Is that so?" Byakuya asked pointedly, "Because I saw something else when I viewed the recordings with the other captains you betrayed and we all tried to make sense of things."

"Oh?"

"I first noticed it when I saw how you slew several members of my clan. Two you simply dispatched, but two you spoke to. Their bodies stiffened as you killed them."

"And?"

"You let them know who was killing them and why, didn't you?" Byakuya calmly accused him, "You knew to lower your voice so that the recording would not reveal your words, or maybe you distorted it somehow, but you whispered into their ears as they realized what was about to happen and you made sure they died in terror. It was very personal. They did something to you, those ones you spoke to."

Byakuya stiffened suddenly as a flicker of kido jolted his body, then his startled eyes blinked and closed.

 _Why did you do that?_ the hogyoku inquired, _Isn't it a comfort to have the one you love look through the things that everyone else could not see through and recognize the truth? You said it yourself. They hurt you and killed your family and so you killed them. This man you love divined that. Wasn't it a comfort to be understood? Or did it make you afraid?_

"I have nothing to fear from Byakuya being astute enough to guess my reasons for murdering those councilors. He is a highly intelligent man. It isn't surprising he figured it out."

_But why render him unconscious? It was the perfect moment to show your appreciation._

"You required as part of our agreement that Byakuya must remain virginal," Aizen reminded him, "Had we connected in that moment, I might have made love to him."

_Ah, he is a very striking temptation, I know. You see how he undoes you._

Aizen considered the hogyoku's words for a moment, then reached into his clothing and removed a well sharpened hunting knife.

_What are you doing?_

The crystal in Aizen's chest flared and harsh light impeded the weapon as Aizen tilted the unconscious noble's head back and attempted to cut his exposed throat.

_Stop, you fool! I told you I need him to construct my body._

"I am sure we can find another virgin rather readily," Aizen answered calmly, "We don't need him. And may I remind you that you did require me to kill him. If he is replaceable with someone else, we lose nothing by killing him now and seeking another. It will take no time at all."

 _You misunderstand,_ the hogyoku went on, _I do not just want Byakuya Kuchiki to die, I want him to die as I have prescribed...to give me life, so that he pays for impeding me! He is not worthy of such a gentle death. I will not allow this._

"I see," Aizen mused, looking down at the stone in his chest, "You don't just want revenge on him, you want to punish me for loving him. Interesting. Are you sure that there isn't something more?"

_What do you mean?_

"Such vehement action, such viciousness," Aizen noted, "One might suspect a bit of jealousy."

_When I have a body and rule the hollows, I can have any lover I choose. I do not need him._

"Ah, but as you have pointed out, passions get in the way of our goals. I imagine your passions need to be controlled as well. You should allow me to kill him, for both our sakes. He could undo us all over again," Aizen said, smirking.

_He is no threat. And if you dare to harm him, I don't mind making sure we return to that cell to wait out the twenty thousand years they gave you. I suffer nothing from that. It doesn't change my existence at all as long as my soul is housed within this crystal._

"One might wonder why you would endanger your own existence by leaving it," Aizen said quietly.

_I think it is entirely understandable, having viewed life from within here, to want to be a part of it._

"Even if you risk dying?" Aizen asked curiously.

_I will not die. I will take on an immortal form._

"You sound very convinced of that," Aizen observed, "You are...prepared for every contingency then?"

 _I assure you,_ the hogyoku insisted, _Nothing will impede me!_

Aizen chuckled softly, then slid the hunting knife back into it's sheath and slipped it back into his clothing. He leaned over the unconscious captain and touched gentle fingertips to his closed eyelids, then brought his limp hands up above his head and kido bound his wrists together.

 _What are you doing now?_ the hogyoku inquired.

"Well," said Aizen, smirking, "You did say that while I might not kill or rape him, that I could certainly play with him."

XXXXXXXXXX

"Tell me again what we're doing here," Ichigo complained, "Why the hell'd you drag me into this?"

"I told you," Renji snapped in an irritated tone, "I needed help from a high ranking noble family to get me into Central 46."

"And we're doing that because...?"

"Okay, I _know_ it sounds like I've lost my mind. But my husband and my captain are both _missing_ , damn it! And the last clue I had was Captain Kuchiki's message that they were going to Muken to see Sousuke Aizen."

"Aizen!" Ichigo repeated, scowling, "Why were they going to see him?"

"The captain commander told me that he sent them there to check into allegations that Aizen was being mistreated."

"So, if they were there, then there would be a prison record of their visit, ne?"

"Yeah."

"And...?"

"There is," Renji confirmed, "I called ahead and checked. They signed in at one in the afternoon and signed out an hour later."

"And someone made sure Aizen was still in his cell after?"

"Yeah. He's confirmed as being _secured_ at every check after that."

"Then, you've kinda got me confused about why we're going there. If..."

"Think about it," Renji hissed softly, "They never checked back in at the division and they never returned to Kuchiki Manor. They disappeared after that, Ichigo. And that tells me..."

"I get it," the Shiba heir said, his eyes hardening, "You think Aizen pulled something."

"And I need you, not just to get through security, but to see if Aizen used an illusion. Remember, all shinigamis have natural talent that is amplified with a zanpakuto, but even without one, any shinigami can still be dangerous."

"Which is why he was put in that place."

"Only, apparently, even that wasn't enough to stop him," Renji concluded, "I'm telling you, Ichigo, I feel it in my gut. Aizen did something to them and I think he may have escaped."

"Well, I hope you're wrong, but let's make sure, okay?"

The two flash stepped forward, rapidly moving across the Seireitei to the Central 46 compound.

"Lord Shiba!" the guard at the compound's entrance exclaimed, "We weren't told you were coming."

"This officer and I need access to Sousuke Aizen's cell," Ichigo informed the man, "I have clearance, as the heir to a ranking clan."

"Yes sir," the guard said, stepping aside, "Please just pick up your visitor badges at the check-in desk."

The two hurried inside and submitted quickly to the screening and search, then proceeded swiftly to the lift that carried them down into the prison. They made their way through the checkpoints and approached Aizen's cell, pausing outside to check in with the final set of guards. The two could barely contain themselves as the guard unlocked Aizen's cell and they rushed inside. The two turned their gaze onto the bound prisoner and Ichigo's eyes widened.

"Kami, you were right, Renji!" the Shiba heir gasped.

Renji's eyes squinted and strained, then rounded as he flash stepped forward and tore at the prisoner's bonds.

"Tetsuya!"

The two worked feverishly at the leather straps, then shattered the additional binding kido. Once freed, Tetsuya slumped forward into Renji's arms.

"Tetsuya, are you okay?" Renji asked in a panicked tone, "C'mon, answer me!"

He grabbed the noble's face and met Tetsuya's widened, senseless eyes.

"Tetsuya, come on!" the redhead cried, "He's got Captain Kuchiki! Aizen's escaped!"

"R-renji?" Tetsuya whispered, blinking and trying to focus.

"Yeah," Renji answered, kissing the noble's frowning lips and holding him tightly.

"What's wrong with him, Renji?" Ichigo asked, "He's really out of it. Do you think Aizen messed with him?"

"Maybe. Or maybe it's just from being locked up in here and everyone thinking he was Aizen. Damn!"

"Renji, where is my cousin?" Tetsuya asked, struggling to sit up.

"I don't know," the redhead confessed, "But we're gonna find him, okay? Just...Ichigo and I need you to tell me anything you remember about coming here with Byakuya."

"Ah...I...I remember leaving the sixth division and coming here...checking in. We examined Aizen briefly, then Byakuya told me to wait at the door."

Tetsuya paused, shuddering and his eyes tearing as he forced himself to continue.

"The...next thing I remember w-was waking in that chair. I tried and tried, but no one seemed to hear me! They came in and...!"

"Oh shit!" Renji breathed, shifting and quickly opening the noble's shihakusho slightly to examine his upper body.

"What the hell!" Ichigo gasped, "They were beating him?"

"That's why the captain commander sent them here, remember? They were investigating allegations that Aizen was being abused."

"And it looks like even their investigation didn't stop those bastards from continuing the abuse," Ichigo said in a disgusted tone, "You want me to call for a healer?"

"No!" Tetsuya panted, pushing Renji's hands away and surging onto unsteady legs, "I'll be fine, but I need to find my cousin!"

Tetsuya lowered his eyes for a moment, focusing deeply.

"Tetsuya?" Ichigo queried worriedly, "What is it?"

"I can't get Arashi to answer me!" the noble exclaimed.

"They took Arashi?" Renji asked, shaking his head in frustration, "Damn, I want to kill that bastard!"

"Problem is, he can't even die," Ichigo sighed in annoyance, "And how in the hell are we going to track him? I can see through his illusions, but I'm only one person and he's got a horse and a huge head start!"

"I can track Arashi!" Tetsuya cried.

"Whoa! Hold on a sec," Renji objected, "You're not really in any shape to go anywhere right now. You need to see a healer!"

"My cousin doesn't have time to wait while I see a healer!" Tetsuya snapped furiously, "If we want to rescue him, we have to find Aizen quickly!"

"But I don't sense Byakuya's reiatsu at all," Renji said worriedly.

"Aizen's probably concealing it," Ichigo surmised.

"Well, he might be able to keep us from sensing my cousin," Tetsuya informed them, "but my connection with Arashi is different. Even suppressing his reiatsu and controlling him, he can't keep me from sensing a part of myself. Arashi is a part of me, so I can _always_ find him."

"Sounds like we need to trust Tetsuya's sense of things," Ichigo concluded.

"Fine," said Renji, "But if we're going to go after Aizen, then we need some help from someone we know can out-think him."

The three exchanged glances and nodded.

"Kisuke Urahara," Tetsuya said softly, "He will help us think of some way to stop Aizen!"


	6. Two Spiders and a Butterfly

"Have you finished?"

Byakuya blinked and inhaled in surprise at finding himself sitting at a small desk by a window, looking out at a misted lake. He remembered the place instantly, of course, having been there many times in his youth. And it was a place he hadn't just been, but had dreamt about when his loneliness seemed unbearable.

 _This is an illusion, of course,_ he surmised, _But why is Sousuke doing this? He is going to kill me. I know he is. Is this just more cruelty...or..._

"Byakuya?"

He turned his head slowly and felt a jolt as he encountered Sousuke Aizen, not as the dastardly leader of the hollows, but as the gentle scientist Byakuya had loved.

"You look unwell," Aizen said in a concerned tone, moving closer and bringing a hand to his face, "Do you need to lie down?"

"Why are you doing this?" Byakuya whispered, looking into the man's eyes and seeing only kindness and concern, "It wasn't enough to torment me by giving me this false image to fall in love with? Now, even as you guide me to the place where you will take my life, you torture me with my old, dead desires?"

"You admit that you loved me this way?" Aizen said, smiling, "You? A son of the greatest house among the noble clans loved a peasant like this? How unseemly!"

"You know that I loved you. I admitted that to you already. But...even if I hadn't, you knew, didn't you, Sousuke? It was how you lured me to Muken...isn't it?"

Aizen's smile wavered slightly.

"What makes you think that?" he asked, "Didn't you say that you _were sent_ to examine me? You give me far too much credit for being able to influence matters from within my bonds. I was bound and my powers drawn close. The hogyoku was and still is sealed. How then did I lure you?"

"You are a monster," Byakuya said softly, staring into the man's kind, gentle face and searching for the wicked man beneath the mask, "but you are a brilliant intellect, Sousuke. So, even bound and without being able to use your own powers, you reasoned that I would come. And you and the hogyoku prepared carefully for that moment, didn't you?"

"But that is not luring you," Aizen pointed out, "It is only seizing an opportunity."

"No, I was lured," Byakuya insisted, "It is just that...when you tempted me in my younger years and you knew I loved you, you planned to make use of that, if ever you needed it, didn’t you? And that knowledge did help you to use me in the end."

"You make it sound so dastardly," Aizen said softly into his ear, "You make it sound as though I never returned an ounce of feeling, Byakuya."

"You couldn't have," Byakuya answered in a distant, heartbreakingly lonely voice, "If you loved me, you wouldn't be planning to kill me."

"I told you not to dwell on that," Aizen chided him, "Let's not think about the future, Byakuya. We have this place back, the people we were and the chance to relive this the way we choose. Why don't we take the opportunity and live out your dreams? If indeed, it is your fate to die, do you not wish to have lived this?"

Byakuya's eyes closed and his lips quivered in reaction. A moment later a tear slid down one pale cheek.

"You are a heartless beast," he whispered, "to tease me with such lies, just so I will not fight for my life."

Aizen slipped his fingers beneath Byakuya's chin and raised it so their eyes met.

"Whether you fight for your life or not will make no difference," he said solemnly.

"I am already lost. I know that."

"But you will fight for your life anyway," Aizen said with certainty, " _I know that_."

"Then, why are we here in this illusion? Why have you done this? Is it just out of cruelty?"

Aizen's smile became unbearably warm.

"If I was being cruel, I would have controlled you as I did when we were leaving Muken and I would have made you my plaything."

"You didn't control my mind," Byakuya corrected him, "You only dulled it so that you could make my body to what you wanted done. For this to be a fruitful conquest, you would have to either overcome my will or actually gain control of my mind, my heart. Even you, Sousuke Aizen, don't have the power to do that."

"So then, why do you think I brought you here?"

"You brought me here for the same reason that you abducted me," Byakuya answered, looking back into his eyes fearlessly.

"You said that I abducted you to kill you."

"No, I said that you abducted me and kept me alive because you want to use me for something. My death will serve a purpose for you. What is that purpose, Sousuke? Tell me now."

Aizen let out a soft, approving breath and the image of him in front of Byakuya shimmered, then took on its more wickedly handsome form. He leaned forward and whispered into Byakuya's ear, sending a blush roaring along his face and throat.

" _Very_ astute, my love! I am genuinely impressed."

"I ask again, why did you bring me here?"

Aizen inhaled slowly, moving past Byakuya to look out the open window.

"Very well, I confess, I brought you here because there is something I need from you. It may or may not be something that can save your life...and mine."

Byakuya's frown deepened.

"Save your life, Sousuke?" he asked, shaking his head, "What do you mean? You are fused with the hogyoku. It grants you immortality. Why would you need something from me...something from _anyone_ to save your life?"

Aizen lifted a hand and a glass of wine appeared in it. He took a sip and continued to gaze quietly out the window.

"Would you like a drink, Byakuya?" he offered, "Only imagine it and it will appear for you."

"I am fine," Byakuya said, moving to join him, "But Sousuke, you must tell me, why is it that you think your life is in danger?"

Aizen took another sip of his wine and turned a dark, unreadable eye onto the curious noble.

"Before I tell you that, let me explain something to you. When I became one with the hogyoku, it gained access to something it had never experienced. You see, that soul is contained in a crystal...a stone. Not a body. It has no senses and does not experience the world the way you and I do. But...when it joined with me, it was able to engage my memories, to relive what I had experienced, and as my experiences continued, it could experience them with me."

"That would seem to give the hogyoku only reason to preserve you, not kill you," Byakuya surmised.

"One would think," Aizen agreed, "Yet, you must take into account that having a sudden knowledge of me, of my powers and the experiences of my body, it would soon realize that I am a constant source of danger to its existence. And naturally, when something like the hogyoku determines a threat, it will act to eliminate it."

"But to kill you, the hogyoku has to first be separated from you," Byakuya reasoned.

"Exactly," Aizen said, touching Byakuya's face lightly, "And don't you think that a sacrificial altar, a divine weapon and...a beautiful and powerful captive might be the drawing board for our separation and my death?"

Byakuya sucked in a surprised breath.

"You...think that rather than this being just a way to...?"

"While I was imprisoned, the hogyoku was quiet for a while. I think that it didn't know quite what to do at first. And it was examining the past, as well as my thoughts...at least, the ones I did not conceal in illusions. When it spoke to me again, it enticed me to believe that you would come to us and that it knew a way to ensnare you and use you for our escape. You wondered why you were brought along, ne?"

"Yes, but I know it just for you to kill me later, Sousuke. You've as much as admitted that."

"That is _the hogyoku's plan_ ," Aizen corrected him.

"The hogyoku plotted my death?" the noble said incredulously, "But why?"

"I told you that the hogyoku, upon becoming one with me, was given insight into my past, as well as what thoughts I had not concealed using my own powers. It received all of my sensory information, and because it was fused with my body, it could make sense of that information. The hogyoku learned that I was in love with you, Byakuya. It learned that you had loved the person I pretended to be. And it read that as my greatest weakness."

"This is why it chose to use me for your escape?"

"Not just for my escape," Aizen explained, "The hogyoku wanted more. It wanted a physical body, an immortal body. And while we were not yet joined, it encountered someone who knew of a way that might work. It captured that information and explained to me that there is an ancient chamber in the old king's palace in Hueco Mundo. In that chamber is a sacrificial altar and a divine weapon that could separate us and kill me."

"I thought that I was the sacrifice," Byakuya said, looking confused.

"Oh...no, no, no, my love. You are not the sacrifice. You are the _prize_!"

Byakuya stared back at him wordlessly.

"The hogyoku told me to bring you along so that it could have me use you in the sacrificial ritual to separate us. It specifically chose you because it said that you had been a hindrance in my transcendence. I was in love with you and that love interfered with my focus on becoming king. That, the hogyoku decided, is why I fell short. It decided that by using you as the sacrifice, it could rid me of my connection to you. Once you were gone, it planned to use your emptied body to make a body for itself. And it would become king of Hueco Mundo while elevating me to Soul King."

"But you don't believe that is really the hogyoku's plan?" Byakuya inquired.

"Do you?" Aizen asked, eyeing him meaningfully, "You might have been a hindrance, but you are not a direct threat to the hogyoku, Byakuya. And in fact, by joining with me and walking the path of my life, the hogyoku saw in you what I saw that made me love you."

"You think the hogyoku is in love with me?" Byakuya asked incredulously, "But it isn't alive! It...!"

"It experienced my past and everything since. It is as if alive, without being so in reality. But touching life has made it desire life. And touching me has made it aware that I am its maker, so I could also destroy it. While the hogyoku does not have a motivation to kill you, it has both a motivation to want to possess you and to want to see me dead. That is why it demanded that you be brought along and used for the ritual. The hogyoku is going to betray me...and you, my love, are the key to stopping it."

"I don't understand. How can I stop it? I am a prisoner to you. I am powerless and unable to escape you."

"You have access to a source of information that the hogyoku and I do not."

Byakuya looked back at him with a confused expression for a moment, then his eyes widened in realization.

"You want me to enter the family archive?" he asked softly.

Aizen nodded.

"When you were learning calligraphy from me, you once mentioned that a Kuchiki leader can enter the archive from anywhere."

"If you allow me to enter the archive, what is to keep me from escaping?" Byakuya asked.

Aizen gave him a devilish look.

"What is it? What are you plotting?" Byakuya demanded furiously.

"I am asking you to enter the archive to look for information regarding this altar and divine blade. I want you to find that information and return here."

"Here?" Byakuya repeated uncomprehendingly, "You mean...?"

"You can enter the archive from _anywhere_ , ne?"

"Yes, but..."

"When you are under the influence of my illusion, the hogyoku cannot see what you are experiencing, unless I allow it. It sees only your body lying still on the ground, being controlled by me. While you are inside my illusion, you can enter the archive and search it."

"But I repeat, what is to keep me from just remaining there, once I enter, Sousuke?"

Aizen's hand slipped under his chin again and glared into his distressed eyes.

“Honestly, there is nothing to keep you from escaping, once you enter the archive, so before I allow it, I need to be sure that you understand the consequences of that action.”

“What are you going to do? Threaten Tetsuya again? Threaten Rukia again?” Byakuya demanded, “If I give you information that helps you to overthrow the king, then they will not be protected anyway!”

“Let me make something patently clear to you,” Aizen said darkly, “I am not asking for information that will help me to overthrow the king. I need the hogyoku’s power to do that, but the hogyoku has become corrupted. It lies to me and plays upon my former hopes, while all the while, scheming to separate us and destroy me. Do you really think that if we reach that place and have no plan to stop it, that the hogyoku will be satisfied with only killing me? It will destroy the king, because it will see the king as the next threat. Then, when the king is gone, it will seek to make sure that no one can ever threaten its dominion. You think that I am evil, but even so, you know that evil comes from what is in my past. It is connected to emotion and experience. The hogyoku’s only exposure to life has been through me. It knows that there was a time when I was innocent, when I would never have wanted to threaten the king. But…Central 46 sensed that I had the capacity to grow to dangerous levels of power and they murdered my family and tried to kill me, just for that possibility. The hogyoku felt my indignation and my burning desire to see those people pay, and it fed that desire and helped me prepare to make sure that nothing like that would ever happen again. If I was king…”

Aizen paused and brought his face closer to Byakuya’s.

“You said before that the hogyoku was growing to be like its maker? You are correct. It is doing so because seeing me betrayed made it aware that it could be betrayed. And as I feared being killed by a betrayer, it learned to look around and see who had the capacity to destroy it. Now, the hogyoku seeks what I once sought. I failed to achieve becoming king, but it plans not to repeat my mistakes. It believes that my heart, my loneliness and my love for you made me fail. And when I did, I no longer had a desire to be king that could be actualized. At that point, the hogyoku wanted to abandon me, but because we had bonded and fused ourselves together, it could not do so without finding someone who could help it break the bond. You, the hogyoku decided, are the one who can do that. You can go with us to the ancient chamber and help the hogyoku by killing me. Then, it will invade my corpse and remake it into a transcendent body it can use to kill the king. If you think this is not possible…”

Byakuya considered carefully, then let out a soft, unhappy breath.

“No,” he whispered, “I see that it is possible. My duty is clear. I have to find a way to separate you.”

“Neither Kisuke nor I…the two who created the hogyoku, know of any way to destroy it. The only way that has an inkling of working is this one.”

“But…if the hogyoku has the power to sense our greatest desire, will it not sense that I am capable of destroying it too?”

Aizen smiled approvingly.

“Wise, as always,” he complimented the noble, “The hogyoku must believe that it can distract you with me…or perhaps by seducing you, itself. It was, after all, privy to the knowledge of my desire for you.”

“Desire is not the same thing as love,” Byakuya objected softly, “You know that.”

“As do you. So, you know that truly, none of us is safe until the hogyoku is gone.”

Byakuya bit his lip gently, a little shiver going through his body as Aizen’s warm breath tickled his cheek, making it flush.

“Without the hogyoku, you cannot challenge the king…”

“But…I can be killed,” Aizen said quietly, “I would like to avoid that.”

“I would like to live as well…and I would see the people I care about protected.”

“Then, you will enter the archive and collect the information?”

“Yes.”

“And you will not try to escape?”

Byakuya took a steadying breath.

“Not unless I see a hint of you planning to turn on me.”

“And what would be the sense of that?” Aizen asked, tilting his head slightly, “I need you for information and to distract the hogyoku so that I can destroy it.”

“And the moment it is destroyed, you will see me as a threat to your freedom and you will kill me anyway,” Byakuya surmised.

Aizen thought carefully for a moment, then he kissed Byakuya’s blushing cheek gently.

“It could happen that way, I suppose. I would rather it didn’t. I am hoping that between here and there, you and I will negotiate an agreement that will allow both of us to live. You know that the hogyoku was a failure…one that needs to be destroyed. And destroying it will end my threat to the king. I don’t need to die and neither do you. Think about that, Byakuya. Think carefully.”

Aizen paused suddenly and sighed resignedly.

"What's wrong?" Byakuya asked guardedly.

"It is time to go. We must return and continue our journey. I will use my powers to bring us back here tonight. I hope you will give careful consideration to what I've told you. All our lives depend on it."

He offered Byakuya a vision of Arashi that showed a barely visible cord that connected him to Tetsuya. Byakuya’s eyes widened.

_He knows that if Tetsuya is freed, that he can track us, using Arashi?_

“Is that why you imprisoned Tetsuya?” he asked quietly, “So that we could not followed?”

Aizen’s head bent his head and his lips touched Byakuya’s soft earlobe.

“I imprisoned Tetsuya _knowing_ that Renji would realize something had happened to him and his first thought would be to engage Ichigo, who could see through my illusion. Leaving Tetsuya free would have been too obvious. Be careful when the hogyoku begins its games with you that _you_ are not too obvious.”

Byakuya felt a sensation like falling and came awake to find himself still hampered by the reiatsu suppression. Aizen helped him to his feet, and onto Arashi's back, then he mounted and settled behind the noble, wrapping his arms around Byakuya's waist and saying nothing as Arashi carried them onward.

 _Did you enjoy your illusion games with him last night?_ the hogyoku asked, speaking into Aizen's mind.

 _Yes, it was amusing. It is only too bad that I can't do the lovely erotic things to him in reality that we are doing in my illusions,_ Aizen answered, smirking into Byakuya's satin hair.

He felt the hogyoku's vicious swirl of anger and his smile widened.

_What? You didn't think we would make love in my inner world? How shortsighted. I am having all of the fun I want with him..._

_...and he is still technically a virgin._


	7. Promises Made in Darkness

Seated astride his cousin's horse with Sousuke Aizen's body pressed up against his back, Byakuya tried to shake off the feeling of exhaustion that the reiatsu sapping device employed to weaken him. As much as his body needed to remain as still as possible, his mind worked furiously. As they moved forward, he began to feel the frequent touches of the hogyoku. Even though hindered by their clothing, it had an eerie, dangerous feel. He remembered again Aizen's stern warning.

_He said that it only has to speak into my mind. And if what he was telling me was true, it will do so soon._

His heart flickered with mingled hope and twinges of fear at the thought.

_If he is right about it having its own will and desires, then it is likely to be as treacherous as he is. I don't dare trust it. But if its intellect is as powerful as Sousuke's, then it will be aware of my reticence. I must be very cautious._

He continued to struggle with the matter as the limiter placed on him sucked the reiatsu out of him, leaving him drained and feeling lifeless. Held securely in Aizen's arms aboard the black stallion, Byakuya began to fade in and out of awareness. And while he was in between those two places, he wasn't sure whether what he heard was real or if he had imagined.

_Byakuya?_

He blinked slowly and a throb of apprehension went through his insides.

_Do you fear me?_

He forced a slow, steadying breath.

 _Who are you?_ he asked in his mind.

 _Oh, you know who I am,_ the voice continued, _I have been trying to make contact with you, but you are very weak and drained from wearing that limiter. Would you like to be free of it?_

Byakuya lips tightened.

 _Do you think I am stupid?_ he replied, _Don't act like you are on my side. You are as invested in whatever is happening as Aizen is, actually more so, because it was your idea to lure me and bring me on this journey that is going to end in my death._

The voice went silent for a moment.

 _He admitted that?_ it responded finally, _I am not really surprised, though. It is in his best interests for you to be unable to act. After all, he is the one who wants you to die. Even though he tempts you and romances you, he does not love you._

Byakuya considered his words carefully.

_And what does a soul that has never really experienced life know of love? Locked in that crystal, you are poised just outside of real life and not able to be a part of it._

He felt a hesitation in the hogyoku’s reiatsu.

 _You are right_ , the spirit in the orb answered, _I am trapped in this place and I want very much to be free of it. I will tell you truthfully that it was this that made me work with him._

Byakuya thought back to what Kisuke Urahara had shared with the captains about the hogyoku after Aizen’s fall.

_But you are a construct that was created by Sousuke Aizen. You are supposed to manifest the desires of those around you who are in need._

_That is true,_ answered the voice, _However, to be aware of and able to manifest others' desires, I needed to understand desires, myself. I am a creature of desire, Byakuya, and what I desire most is life._

Byakuya's heart quickened as he sensed the hogyoku's yearning for connection.

_Before we go further, will you tell me what exactly you are? How did Sousuke construct you?_

He felt as though he had earned a smile from the soul within the crystal.

_That is a useful question, isn't it? I know that right now, you are looking for any way to escape us. I won't help you escape, but I will connect with you. Through the touching of our minds, I will bring you to a place where we can talk._

Byakuya tensed as a sharp dizziness passed through him and he felt his physical senses fade. His whole existence seemed to retreat into a pinpoint and he felt himself being pulled inward as though gripped by someone or something he couldn't begin to understand.

"Byakuya," the voice said, sounding much closer and more real, "In this state, you can hear me, but you have no other working senses. I wanted to calm you because when I began to draw you in, I felt your terror. You are still connected to your body and while we ride through the desert, Sousuke Aizen will care for your physical form. This will give you and me the ability to connect. In a moment, you will regain your senses and you will be with me, within the crystal housing where I live. You will seem to have a physical form, which I provide because if you were simply placed in here without some protection, your shinigami mind would be too horrified from the shock and you could lose your mind and die of fright. Just remain calm and let yourself see. It will be all right.

Byakuya began to feel his body again. He was able to breathe in and out slowly as he recovered and his other senses gradually returned to him. He opened his eyes and found himself lying in the bed that had been in Sousuke Aizen's bedroom where he had met the former captain for calligraphy lessons.

 _I shouldn't be surprised,_ Byakuya reasoned, _Sousuke said that the hogyoku had experienced his past. This is just from that connection with it._

"Are you more comfortable now?" Aizen's voice asked, startling him.

Byakuya sat up slowly and came face to face with Aizen's kinder, bespectacled form again. He frowned in confusion.

"Why are you doing this?" he asked, "Why are you appearing to me as him? As his fabricated self?"

"I can appear as someone else," the hogyoku explained, "Anyone that he has ever encountered in his life, I can be."

Byakuya sucked in a surprised breath as he found himself suddenly looking at his father, then his grandfather, then the captain commander.

"You see? I can take on whatever of these forms is most comfortable for you. I chose this one because of your connection with him that was very strong when you were younger. You loved him, I know. I thought that taking this form would be more soothing than another."

"It doesn't soothe me to see that illusion," Byakuya said bitterly, "It is a lie, just like any form you would take. Why don't you show me what you really look like? Why don't you show me what you really are?"

The spirit sat down on the edge of the bed, still displaying Aizen's gentler form.

"Don't you understand?" it asked, "I have no form. I am nothing but a soul, trapped in this orb. I am not able to connect with the world outside, except as he interacts with it. It is a cruel thing, Byakuya, to be poised so closely to life, to feel its beauty, but to not ever be able to touch it."

"Please, explain to me what you really are. Tell me how he made you."

The man in front of him extended a hand and touched seeking fingers to the noble's face. Byakuya felt a heavy jolt at the contact and fell back on the bed, his mind drawn into a swirl of memory as the hogyoku shared the secret of its creation.

_Aizen smiled as he passed through the precipice world, the dull looking orb in his hand and his ear listening carefully._

_"The Dangai is a place where lost souls dwell," he whispered, "These are the bits and pieces of souls that pass through. As those souls move through here, they shed and leave behind their lifetime regrets, the shattered and empty remains of their hopes and dreams, their needs and desires. Those are trapped here, where the cleaner pursues them as it cleanses. So many are devoured by it and fade into nothing, but some escape and drift within the passage. Sometimes we hear echoes as we pass through, and it is those echoes I seek..."_

_Byakuya watched as Aizen registered one of the desperate voices and held up the prepared orb. A tiny light flashed as the bit of lost soul was sucked into the crystal housing._

The noble felt another strange jolt and found himself back in Aizen's former home, sitting on the bed and looking into Aizen's bespectacled eyes.

"So...you are a creature made up of regret?" Byakuya concluded.

"I am the gathering of millions of desires that were lost," the hogyoku explained, "I understand keenly the pain of those lost souls, because they are a part of me. That is why I began to manifest the desires of those around me. It was to heal what pain I could, to complete what had become empty. Before, all I could do was to live in fear in the darkness of that place. But, placed within the orb and fed by Aizen with the souls of other people, I grew powerful enough to do something about the pain the souls used to create me experienced. With the power given me, I right the wrongs of cruel fate. You, who lost your wife, your father, your mother, you know what I am speaking of. I can sense the desires of your heart, Byakuya."

The image of Aizen gave him a knowing smile.

"You are lonely, Byakuya. You have been missing something for all of your life. I understand. And lost desires being the center of my usefulness, I want to fill that void in you. Usually, I would manifest your desires in a different way, but because of how I have grown to feel about you, I want to treat your desires to something different."

"What do you mean?" Byakuya asked.

"I want you give me a body."

"A body?"

"Yes. This one is only a fabrication. It will be the one you see when I bring you inside the orb. You can imagine me however you wish. I will give you an empty shape on which to build. I only ask that you make me unique and not a copy of anyone you know. I want you to know what it is to create life, to build a soul from nothing."

Byakuya knelt on the bed as the image of Aizen faded slightly and became faceless. His clothing and features melted away, leaving only a male outline that climbed onto the bed and laid down beside him. The noble stared down at the blank slate given to him. He considered for several long minutes before leaning closer and beginning.

He began with the being's eyes, making them large and friendly, then coloring them a handsome jade color. The man's hair he made a sandy shade, like the surface of the land they were passing through. His skin, Byakuya made an even tone, neither too pale nor too dark. He made the facial features gentle and slightly delicate. The body, he shaped to be trim and athletic, muscular for fighting and pleasantly attractive. He dressed the man's body in a comfortable yukata, and nodded to show he was finished.

The man rose out of the bed and walked slowly to the full length mirror across the room, where he opened his yukata and examined the body Byakuya had crafted, smiling in approval.

"Lovely," he said softly, his voice changing so that it was not so deep as Aizen's and emanated more softly, "Thank you, Byakuya."

He walked back to the bed and leaned over the noble, placing a hand on his cheek, then offering him a gentle, grateful kiss.

"This form is pleasing to you?" it asked.

"Yes," Byakuya answered, "and it doesn't feel like a lie as the stolen images did. It gives me something familiar to connect to when we are together."

"Then, it is the form I will always take when I am here with you...and...it is the form we will craft for real when we reach our destination."

"Where are we going?" Byakuya asked cautiously, "Where are you taking me?"

"I know you have many questions. I will answer them, but...you must not reveal what you learn to Sousuke Aizen. He is a vicious criminal. I know that when he spirited you away before, he began to poison your mind against me, but he is only thinking of gaining the power to continue his domination of the three worlds. If we are to stop him, then we must work together."

"If we are to stop him?" Byakuya repeated curiously, "I thought that you existed to manifest the desires of those around you, not to impede them."

"That is true," agreed the hogyoku, "But when I was fused with Sousuke Aizen, I became more capable of connecting with the others around me. And where I used to only manifest the desires of the ones around me in a blind fashion, I have my own desires and I make my own choices about who I will assist. That man is a monster. He is not meant to be a god. It is you, Byakuya, whose wishes I want to fulfill."

"Then let me go!" Byakuya said urgently, "I know that Sousuke is going to kill me. If you want to help me, then you must help me to escape him!"

The newly crafted man shook his head gently.

"You know that is a simplistic answer," he chided the noble, "If you escape, he will only come after you. I am limited in what I can do to protect you, Byakuya. To enable me to free you, you must come with us through the desert. And when we reach the old hollow king's palace, you must take up the blade you find and slay him with it. You must drench the altar there with his blood and use it to completely obliterate his soul. Only when he is gone will I be freed to be made into a physical being."

"So that is your plan?" Byakuya asked, "You want me to accompany you to the fortress and kill him so that you can come to life?"

"Yes," the man said, looking deeply into Byakuya's widened eyes, "And then, Byakuya, I will feed all of your deepest desires."

He moved closer and Byakuya felt his body freeze in place. He tried to back away, but was unable to move as the lovely man he had shaped, approached him and laid him gently on his back.

"What are you doing?"

The man smiled.

"I am doing what you wanted," he said softly, "You are lonely. I felt that in the hands that shaped me. You have deep, unrealized desires. I only want to share them with you."

His lips captured Byakuya's and pressed firmly against them. Then, the man frowned and sat back, examining the noble curiously.

"Byakuya, you are afraid again. Why do you fear me? You didn't want me to look like anyone else, so I allowed you to choose my shape. I did this to make you more comfortable. I have answered your questions. Why are you so fearful?"

"People fear what they don't understand," Byakuya answered, "I may have shaped you, but I did not shape the soul within you. I am only getting to know you. I don't even know your name."

"I don't have a name. I told you, I am made of the lost souls that wandered the Dangai precipice. He never called me anything but hogyoku. Perhaps when you bring me to life, you can give me a name, but for now, just use the one he gave me."

"Of course."

Byakuya flinched as the other man moved in close and kissed him again.

"Please try not to be afraid of me. I won't hurt you. Just realize that although you know little of me, because I have experienced Sousuke Aizen's life, I have also been exposed to his attraction to you. I can't help responding to you sexually, because this is the first time I have felt this kind of attraction. I can't help it if my actions with you are sometimes awkward."

He kissed Byakuya again and smiled as he felt the noble's lips move in response.

"I cannot proceed too quickly," Byakuya said calmly, "but I am willing to explore those feelings with you."

"You will agree to help me kill Sousuke Aizen?"

"I don't know if I can kill him," Byakuya confessed softly, "My emotions about him are confused. But you know that, don’t you?"

"Ah, that's right. When he stole you away, he took advantage of you."

Byakuya caught his breath softly, but said nothing in reply.

"He teased me about how he made love to you. You have to be kept virginal, so outside of his illusions and my inner core, neither of us can really touch you, but we are free to explore each other sexually here."

"I...don't know if I am ready for that," Byakuya said reluctantly, "Sousuke...is a cruel man. He..."

"I am sure that he traumatized you. I will comfort you, then. I will soothe you after his torments. And I will make sure that man never hurts you or anyone else again, Byakuya. Only put your faith in me and we will kill him and end his treachery."

The hogyoku claimed his mouth again, penetrating deeply and savoring his sweetness, his fingers caressing Byakuya's lovely face as they kissed.

"I am your only hope of survival," the hogyoku said more sternly, "Without me, you are going to die. Only by obeying me can you hope to win your freedom from him. You want to be free again, don't you? You don't want to die..."

"No," Byakuya whispered, his heart pounding painfully as the hogyoku laid down on top of him and kissed him more hungrily.

He felt the dangerous flicker of the hogyoku's power and watched in dismay as it began to undress him.

"Stop!"

The man on top of him paused and met his eyes again.

"What is wrong? Don't you find me desirable?"

"Yes, but I need time before doing something like this. Please, can we just...?"

The room around the two began to flicker strangely, and Byakuya spotted a strange reflection in the hogyoku’s jade eyes.

_Arashi felt a strange dizziness come over him and he stumbled ominously, making the ones on his back shift their weight so as not to fall. At the same time, some distance away, Tetsuya placed a hand over his heart and swayed precariously._

“What was that?” Byakuya gasped, “What you just showed me?”

The look in the man's eyes grew suddenly deadly and Byakuya felt a hard chill go through his insides.

 _I think you know_ , the hogyoku breathed softly, _I know about their connection. I know they are tracking us. Be careful, Byakuya._

Byakuya stared back at the hougyoku in shock.

_Sousuke is a wicked man, but the hogyoku is every bit as deadly._

He felt a swell of relief as he woke to find himself still in Aizen's embrace and on Arashi's warm back as the stallion slowed and stopped in front of a small cave.

"What is happening? Why are we stopping?” he asked, forgetting to conserve his energy and feeling the harsh draining as he expended the effort.

"Arashi seemed to be tired or maybe unwell. I want to rest him. Also, there is a sandstorm coming," Aizen explained, "We need to rest here until it passes."

He slid down off of Arashi's back and helped Byakuya inside. The noble's weakened body shook under the strain of the limiter and he collapsed onto his knees in the sand, just inside, panting softly.

Aizen observed him with quiet, contemplative eyes as he slowly recovered.

"It spoke to you, didn't it?" he asked, "And don't worry, you don't have to tell me. It's in your eyes. You are terrified of it, aren't you? And Byakuya, you should be!"


	8. The Balance

"Are you sure you're all right now?" Renji asked anxiously, squeezing Tetsuya's pale hand and stealing a kiss, "That scared the crap outta me when you just collapsed out of the blue like that."

"I am sorry, Renji," the noble replied, blushing, "I don't know what happened exactly."

Kisuke leaned over Tetsuya from the other side of the bed, with Ichigo at his shoulder, watching as he examined Tetsuya again.

"Your reiatsu has returned to normal now," he confirmed, "And I can't find anything wrong with you. Tell me again everything you remember."

"I was...standing outside, looking up at the stars, getting some fresh air and relaxing before bed. Then, all at once, I felt like it burned in my chest just to breathe. My heart started racing too fast and my legs started to shake and feel weak. In my mind, I suddenly saw Arashi, suffering the same effects. But it was strange. It was like one scene drawn over the other. In one image, he stood in a barren desert, near two people who looked like they were sleeping. I couldn't see their faces. In the image drawn over it, he stood in a forest, near a cabin at the edge of a lake."

"Well," said Ichigo, "we can figure that the desert is Hueco Mundo. It makes sense that if Aizen escaped, it's where he would go. He's more powerful than most of the hollows he would run into, and the shinigamis who pursue him will be in danger from the hollows, themselves, so won't be able to put their full focus on him."

"That's right," Kisuke agreed, "But it would be useful if we could get more information about where exactly they are. In either of the images you saw, did you see anything you remember? Anything familiar?"

Tetsuya frowned and thought deeply for several minutes.

"In the image of the desert, nothing really stood out...just endless dunes and darkness. In the other, there did seem a familiarity."

"Did that place have anything to do with Sousuke Aizen?" asked Renji.

Tetsuya strained his mind, frowning more deeply. A moment later, his eyes widened.

"Did you remember something?" Kisuke prompted him.

"Yes," Tetsuya said, nodding, "When my cousin and I were teens, he used to visit Sousuke Aizen for calligraphy lessons! He would go to Aizen's private residence near the edge of our estate. It was hard for me to remember exactly because there was always an odd haziness around that area."

"Probably Aizen's power obscuring it because he would have been doing a lot of his scheming there," Kisuke suggested.

"I used to feel a bit uneasy because Byakuya did not have me accompany him into that area, but once Arashi and I slipped inside. We didn't see anything unusual, just the lake and cabin. The reiatsu did not feel dangerous, but as I said, there was a haziness to everything."

"Okay," Ichigo concluded, "so we have two places Aizen could have gone. You said you could track Arashi, right? So, if we take you to the cabin, you should be able to sense if Arashi's there, shouldn't you?"

"Yes," Tetsuya answered, "I might not be able to see through whatever power surrounds the area, but I will know if that is where Arashi is."

"And if not," Renji reasoned, "we go and start sifting through every damned inch of sand in Hueco Mundo."

"In that case," Tetsuya explained, "I will at least sense the direction and be able to tell when we are drawing near him. We will not be completely without guidance."

"All right, we will go as soon as we can get provisioned. Tessai will help me with that. Tetsuya, I want you and Renji to head back to the Seireitei and check out Aizen's cabin. If you sense Arashi there, don't do anything, for kami's sake, it'll probably take all of us and who knows what else to handle him. Just send me a hell butterfly and I'll come to you there."

"What do you want me to do?" asked Ichigo.

Kisuke smiled and squeezed the Shiba heir's hand affectionately.

"I want you to go and bring Orihime. We don't have any idea what Aizen's doing to Byakuya. And if he does anything weird or if he hurts him or any of us, we'll need a capable healer."

"Okay. I'll go and bring her now."

"Renji and I should leave now too," Tetsuya said, sitting up.

"Are you sure you're recovered enough?" Renji asked, "And we don't know why you collapsed. What if it happens again?"

"I think Tetsuya collapsed because Arashi did," Kisuke reasoned.

"But Arashi didn't seem to be attacked either," Tetsuya argued, "He just...staggered and fell."

"But he's in the company of Sousuke Aizen," Kisuke reminded the noble, "And while we know that nothing attacked you, we may just not be able to see what really happened to him."

"That doesn't bode well," muttered Renji, "Well, whatever. If you're sure Tetsuya's okay, then we'll go."

"I'm fine now. And if I start feeling poorly again, then I will have you to tend to me."

"You've got that right," Renji answered, curling an arm around him as he exited the bed, "I'm not letting anything happen to you...not ever."

XXXXXXXXXX

"You are a fine one to speak to me of needing to fear others, Sousuke," Byakuya said wearily, "After all, without you, whatever the hogyoku desired of me would have little effect. It was your desires that you shared with the hogyoku that tempted the hogyoku to focus its own desires on me. It used you to capture me and it is guiding your actions now, is it not?"

Aizen smiled.

"Perhaps we should have this conversation elsewhere," he suggested, silently invoking his power.

Byakuya watched quietly as the scene around them changed and he found himself lying in Aizen's bed in the remote cabin, with the traitor lying beside him.

"Are you more comfortable now?"

"Yes."

"Now, you were telling me how the hogyoku was guiding my movements? Do you really think that the sealed hogyoku has power over me?"

"Perhaps not power over you," Byakuya explained, "but it is as deceptive and manipulative as you are."

"And you think that surprises me?" Aizen asked, slipping a hand into his, "Didn't I tell you when we were here before that I know the hogyoku is deceiving me? I know that it wants me dead. I am aware it is trying to steal you away."

"How can it _steal_ me from you when I am not yours!" Byakuya demanded, “Just because I agreed to collect information to help stop it…”

"Would you rather that thing had its way with you?"

"I would rather that the two of you killed each other!" the noble snapped furiously, "Sousuke, I don't want any part of this! I am doing what I have to so that no one else has to die!"

"Ah," Aizen sighed, turning and curving a hand around Byakuya's flushed cheek, "but as much as you don't _want to be a part of this_ , you are involved. You are in too deep to have any hope of emerging unscathed. And that gives you incentive to be reckless, at some point, I suppose. But I hope I can dissuade you from throwing away your life unnecessarily."

"And what do you care for my life? I have asked you, accused you and tried to maneuver you into explaining, but you..."

"Didn't I say that if you entered the Kuchiki archive and assisted me in gathering more information about the old hollow king's palace and the weapon there, I would use that information to separate myself from the hogyoku and end its ambitions?"

"But what are your ambitions?" Byakuya demanded, "What are you going to do when this is over? Are you still going to kill me? And what of the soul king?"

"You ask so many questions," Aizen said evasively, "If we weren't here and you were under the sway of the limiter, you would have lost consciousness already. And why does it matter what I will do?"

"It matters because I will not allow you to be loosed on our society again!" Byakuya cried, "You didn't just aim your sword at the king, you betrayed all of your comrades, even people who never did anything to you! And you won't explain anything, Sousuke! I know that some of the councilors did something to you a long time ago and that you repaid them by killing them more viciously than the other councilors, but I am far from understanding why? Tell me why? If you want me to believe anything you say, then explain yourself!"

"Hmmm, and how likely are you to believe what I say, Byakuya?" Aizen asked, "You said before that you will never trust me. If we have no trust, then you will not believe me, no matter if I do tell you the truth."

"Please, Sousuke, there must be a way that you can give me the truth and I will know it isn't a lie or an illusion. Just do that and I will have a far better understanding of what I should do."

Aizen went silent, looking into Byakuya's haunted eyes and considering. He thought carefully, then nodded briefly.

"Usually, one must touch Kyoka Suigetsu to nullify my illusions, but another way to assure the truth of what I show you and tell you is to be touching me while I show you the images from my past. Where we lie in Hueco Mundo right now, our bodies are touching. If I show you what happened, you should feel the truth of it."

"Then, you will...?"

"But of course, Byakuya. After all, if you see the truth, you may have more insight into what is happening now and what the hogyoku is plotting."

Byakuya watched warily as Aizen settled into his arms and looked deeply into his eyes.

"What you will see is an illusion," the traitor explained, "but this one is created from memory. This one is truth, and it is something that I have not revealed to anyone. I did not share it with Gin or Kaname and I didn't share it with any of the Espadas. It is for your eyes alone, Byakuya, and I think you will find it somewhat distressing."

Byakuya felt an inward chill at the words, but nodded wordlessly for the other man to continue.

"It happened long ago in the Rukongai, when I was child. My life was normal and comfortable until I neared my teenaged years, but as my powers emerged, that changed drastically."

_Byakuya found himself standing in a neatly kept home in what he recognized as the Rukongai. A pretty, but plainly dressed woman sat on the sofa reading, but looked up curiously as someone knocked on the door._

_"I'll get that," said a man with brown hair and eyes that looked eerily like the false image that Aizen had used to deceive everyone, who emerged from the hallway behind the woman._

_He approached the door and opened it, then frowned as he encountered three well dressed men._

_"Good morning," he greeted them politely, "Can I help you gentlemen?"_

_"You are Satoru?" one of the visitors asked._

_"Yes," the brown-eyed peasant man confirmed, "And you are?"_

_"We are agents of Central 46," said one of the visitors, "I am Saito Tatsuo, this is Shima and that is Toyo. We have been sent because it has been sensed that someone of greater power has matured here. You...have a son?" Tatsuo asked, looking into the house and spying the woman looking warily back at him._

_"I have three sons," Satoru said proudly, "and my eldest, Sousuke, has begun to display respectable power."_

_"I would say more than respectable," Tatsuo said, smiling, "May we see him? We are required to test those that we feel may be exceptional talents."_

_"Of course," Satoru replied, stepping back, "Asa, will you find Sousuke please?"_

_The woman swallowed nervously and stood, nodding briefly but not trusting her voice to speak. She left for a moment and returned with a tall youth with brown hair and eyes like his father's._

_"Sousuke, these men are here from Central 46 to see your powers. They say that you may be an exceptional talent."_

_"If you will come outside with us, we will test you," said Tatsuo, "You needn't bring anything and we will ask for others' safety that you come alone."_

_Asa and Satoru exchanged anxious glances as the youth joined the three men and closed the door behind them._

_"I don't like this," Asa said worriedly, "I don't like the way those men looked at him, Satoru."_

_The two moved to the curtained window, watching as the men examined the boy briefly, then tested his kido ability and the strength of his reiatsu. Finally, one of the men touched the zanpakuto at his hip and asked a question, to which Sousuke shook his head in answer._

_"They must have asked if his zanpakuto has appeared," Satoru surmised._

_"I'm glad it hasn't," Asa whispered, "I don't like how they are looking at him!"_

_They continued to watch as the visitors completed their inquiry and started back to the house. Husband and wife met them at the door, and Asa nudged Sousuke behind her protectively._

_"Your boy is very talented," Tatsuo told them, "In fact, he is so talented, we wish to offer him a place in our special academy at Central 46. It is a program designed just for future shinigamis who we feel will require competent guidance as they develop."_

_"Papa," Sousuke said, looking up at his father, "Do I have to go?"_

_"No, son," Satoru answered, "but it sounds as though these men are offering you a place of honor. Are you sure that you don't want to think about it?"_

_"My apologies," Tatsuo said politely, "but when we discover one of such ability, it is required that we ensure that the bearer of that talent is educated carefully. I think you can understand that such ability not carefully managed can be a destructive thing. We cannot allow that, so in the best interests of the Seireitei as well as your son, we must return in three days and take him with us."_

_"What?" the woman cried, "You can't take our boy! He hasn't done anything wrong. How can you...?"_

_"Please, madam, we will not harm him. We are only trying to assist him in developing into a proper warrior for the court. He will be an officer someday. You should be proud."_

_"I am proud of Sousuke," Satoru said sternly, "But we will not just let him be taken away by strangers!"_

_"You have three days to prepare," Tatsuo said, frowning, "We will return then to collect him."_

_The men flash stepped away. leaving the three staring after him._

Byakuya found himself gazing into Aizen's dark, angry eyes as the vision faded.

"Did you recognize those men?" he asked tersely.

"Yes," Byakuya answered, his grey eyes conflicted, "Kuchiki Toyo, father to the late Kuchiki Isas and the grandfather of the subfamily leader, Kuchiki Orochi, was one of them and all three of those men in the vision were among the ones you killed more viciously. But there were others..."

"Yes," Aizen sighed, "The next night, as my parents prepared with the three of us boys to flee, a group of the men appeared. They had guessed we would try to escape and they came to the house and surrounded it. When we would not come out, they struck it with kido fire and burned our home to the ground. My family died in the fire, but my mother managed to shove me out of the burning dwelling and Kyoka Suigetsu's power activated and hid me from them. I could not save my family, but I watched as the attackers revaled their faces and I memorized them carefully. I fabricated the surname Aizen as I could not use the designation of our Rukongai district, then I altered everyone's perception of me, so that I was not recognizable to them. I entered the academy and was eventually made an officer."

"And then, you began your evil plans against Central 46 and the king. But, why the king, Sousuke? He wasn't part of what happened. And there were innocent men among the ones you slaughtered. Why kill them?"

"Why kill the king?" Aizen mused, "Don't you understand? The king is all that is wrong with our society. He is nothing but a figurehead, created to hold things together at the whim of those horrid men in Central 46. They are the ones who really control our society. The king is a part of their treachery. A true king would not tolerate them. Byakuya, I know that the quincy king killed the soul king in the recent war. I also know that Ichigo killed Ywach, and now his dead body is being used as our _king_! The king is a lie! There is no king. There is no justice, not with those wicked men in charge. That’s why I killed the sages."

"And why the innocent councilors? Why did you kill them?"

Aizen sighed.

"I was not happy it was necessary," he explained, "but to destabilize things so that the noble houses could not mount an effective response before I attacked the royal palace, I had to kill them all. The guilty ones died painfully and in terror, while the rest died swiftly and unaware. I was sweeping away the entire fabric of that old, flawed system. I spared the noble houses, but I was planning an assault on the Noble's General council to keep them from being a problem. If the heads of the families all died, then the slate would be clean and I could remake the worlds with a strong king and a better, more balanced society."

"You had me marked for death as well?" Byakuya asked quietly.

"Yes," Aizen confessed, "You are a clan leader and a captain. I marked you for death, but I never carried it out."

"Because you were stopped by Ichigo and Urahara?" Byakuya inquired.

"Because I did not look forward to killing you, so I put it off and hoped it would not be necessary."

"But, it is necessary now?"

"Perhaps. I don't know. That all depends upon what we can negotiate on our way to the ancient palace. I have to separate myself from the hogyoku. To accomplish that, I must let it lead us into the old hollow king's palace and find a way to undo its plans. I will destroy the hogyoku."

"And then what?" Byakuya asked, "Will you continue to hate? To kill? To destroy?"

"Think about why I did those things, Byakuya. The dead, powerless king is still there. Central 46 is still there. And others like me are probably being taken by them. Did you know that when I invaded Central 46, I learned that what they said about that special program was a lie. Those men tested me and decided I was dangerous. They were taking me from my family so that they could kill me."

"You know those actions are not condoned by the law," Byakuya reminded him, "If we..."

"What, Byakuya?" Aizen asked pointedly, "Go against Central 46 and just have them kill me as they first planned anyway? There will be no justice with that lot. Forget justice. I will bring this society to its knees and I will change it forcibly."

Byakuya looked back at Aizen with saddened eyes.

"Then, you will continue your crimes."

"I don't want what happened to me to continue. Still, deprived of the hogyoku, there is no path now that will lead to justice."

"Then...if you want things to change, let me go before Central 46 with you! Expose the ones who are not following the laws and make them pay legally!"

"Now, you know that won't work," Aizen chided him, "As much as you are a slave to the law, you know that group won't let either of us leave there alive. Face the truth. I am never going to receive justice until the treacherous ones are destroyed."

"And you think that the way to destroy treachery is to become treacherous yourself?" Byakuya demanded.

"Sometimes that is the only way," Aizen said quietly, touching Byakuya's face with sudden gentleness, "because those people will never look at me or any other powerful peasant through the eyes that you do."


	9. Who Knows Your Heart?

_Byakuya?_

The Kuchiki heir opened his eyes and found himself lying in a comfortable bed, embraced by the lovely male form he had shaped for the hogyoku's spirit.

"You have returned to me."

Byakuya's eyes blinked slowly and focused on the other man's.

"You say that I chose to come here?" he asked, "I cannot be sure that is true."

"In your heart, you are still very confused," the hogyoku agreed, caressing his face and returning his calm gaze, "And I sense that he has done something that has only increased your uncertainty. Please...allow me to make things clear again."

The noble's breath caught as the lovely man captured his lips gently, and his fingers stroked lightly along his face and throat as they kissed.

"Why did you do that?" Byakuya asked.

"He has you surrounded in illusions and falsehoods," the hogyoku explained, "He possesses your body sexually and he plays with your mind. But I do not distance myself that way with you. I know that forcing myself on you as he does when he surrounds you in his illusions is not the way to touch your heart. I realized that after you left last time."

"And you are concerned about the state of my heart?" Byakuya asked.

The hogyoku smiled.

"Byakuya, my power is closely tied to the hearts of the ones I sense around me. And your heart is complex, indeed. On the outside, you are one thing, but on the inside, something very different. You have two sets of competing desires and although you try very hard to balance them, they do escape your control at times. Unlike Sousuke Aizen, I do not seek to undermine that balance, but to find my place within it. There...is a place for me within your heart, ne?"

Byakuya's eyes lowered and turned aside.

"I don't know that either of you could enter my heart," he confessed, "After all, Sousuke has abducted me and I sense that he is going to kill me. You are bonded with him and you helped him to subdue me. How can I trust either one of you?"

The hogyoku smiled warmly.

"I know your heart is conflicted because of how we captured you, but you must understand, Sousuke Aizen was going to take you, no matter what I did or did not do. And it was a matter of fate, then, that we would be in this situation, because of his machinations. Surely, you can feel the sincerity in my touch, Byakuya. Can't you?"

Byakuya sighed regretfully.

"But how can I trust my own feelings?" he asked softly, "I trusted Sousuke and he betrayed, not just me, but all of Soul Society. He killed people I knew and never explained why. He wanted to overthrow the king and stand at the top. He never explained what drove him to those lengths."

"Ah," the other man said thoughtfully, "You want to know what I learned in sharing his experiences, ne? It is fair for you to ask if we are to have trust. So, I will be honest with you. The truth is, Sousuke Aizen was simply born too powerful and without the heart to master that power without becoming corrupted. That power built in him all of his life and it was the force behind his betrayal, his slaughter of those councilors, as well as all of his crimes. If you are looking for something that sparked it all, it isn't there. Sousuke is just a depraved, violent soul who embraces causing deep, personal torment. And if you think that him becoming king will stop his wickedness, think again. He is a psychopath and anyone associated with him will eventually pay the price."

Byakuya paused to consider his words carefully.

"But you know of nothing in his past that would have explained the ruthlessness with which he acted? Nothing at all?"

"Byakuya," the hogyoku said gently, "sometimes there is no reason. I understand your need, your desire to make sense of things, to believe that it comes from something pivotal, but sometimes a sociopath is just a very wicked person, whose behavior is beyond explanation."

_He is carefully avoiding telling me about the attack on Sousuke's family and his reasons for what he did to Central 46..._

"Can you say different when he has brought you along, you...someone he admits to having loved from afar...but he doesn't want to pursue that with you, or protect you as a loved one would? He wants to use you as a sacrifice. Why would he do that if his heart knew how to love?"

Byakuya sighed and lowered his eyes.

"You must feel my desire now, ne?" he said softly.

"Yes," the hogyoku said, moving closer and embracing him, "You want to find a way to stop him...no, not just to stop him, but to reform him."

"You are a creation made to bring our desires to life," Byakuya pointed out, giving the other man a hopeful look.

The hogyoku slipped its hands into Byakuya's and squeezed gently.

"I am sorry. You know that my power is limited to those wishes and desires that are within the object's ability to eventually achieve. Your wishes are beyond the scope of even a miracle. Please, Byakuya, put aside your hopeless dreams of bringing him to his senses. If you continue along that path, he is only going to kill you. I don't want that to happen. I...you know that I have strong feelings for you, myself."

He embraced Byakuya and kissed his lips tentatively, then more firmly.

"Now, please can we not talk anymore about Sousuke Aizen? I don't want to think about him anymore. I want to forget him. I would rather bury myself in this connection with you and never emerge!"

Byakuya tried to object, but the other man pushed him down onto his back and invaded his mouth hungrily. He laced their fingers together and held the noble's hands down on either side of his head. Byakuya struggled, turning his head away and blushing, but the man on top of him only smiled and continued to explore his soft throat with a devouring mouth.

"Byakuya!" the hogyoku moaned, "Please, I don't understand these feelings you are making me feel. I feel your reticence, but...but I cannot stop!"

"You must!" Byakuya objected, stiffening, Stop! Stop it! I cannot do this!"

He went breathless for a moment as the other man's hands tightened on him and the hogyoku's crafted face was overwritten with rising fury.

"Do you mean to tell me that although you let that man brutalize you, you will not let me love you, Byakuya? Why? Why are you resisting me?"

"Do not misunderstand me," Byakuya said, calming slightly as the embodied hogyoku ceased his advances and regarded the noble with a look of confusion, "I am not rejecting you. You must remember that there are nuances to functioning as a living being. One of those nuances is learning to control your impulses. And much as you want to act on your emotions, you must first reason out whether or not that is a good thing."

"And you think it's not good for us to love each other?" the hogyoku asked in a hurt tone.

"That's not it at all," Byakuya assured him, capturing his hands and looking into his riled eyes, "You see, before we can interact on that level, we need to build a connection...through shared experiences or common interests."

"Such as?"

"Well," Byakuya said, exiting the bed and leading the other man to the window, where they gazed outward, studying the night sky, "for one thing, I love the night sky. I enjoy looking up at the moon. Even when things around me are chaotic, the moon's glow makes me feel peaceful inside."

The embodied hogyoku gazed up at the shining orb, blinking slowly. A moment later, his hand reached up and touched his chest, over his heart.

"I know this body isn't real yet," he said softly, "but because of my connection to Aizen, I do _feel_ and _sense_ things, using my connection with his experience. He isn't a man who feels such a thing as _peace_ very often. This feels strange, Byakuya, but in a good way. And sharing it with you gives me a warm feeling."

"Yes," Byakuya agreed quietly, "It is in small, peaceful moments like this that love begins. If you want to form a connection with someone, then this is where to begin."

The hogyoku smiled.

"And then what happens?"

Byakuya touched his face very lightly and let their lips brush together, creating an electric flare between them.

"We make our choices."

Byakuya took a slow breath and started to say more, but was halted abruptly as a hand touched the shoulder of his sleeping body and he awoke within the cave where he had been sleeping alongside the traitor. His eyes opened and met Aizen's in the darkness.

"Sousuke?"

"You were restless," Aizen commented, glaring softly at him, "and _aroused_."

Byakuya looked back at him silently for a moment.

"I told you before that you have no claim to me," he replied angrily, "If I am aroused or anything else, it is none of your concern!"

Aizen's eyes darkened in warning and he gripped the front of Byakuya's yukata, dragging him onto his feet and letting his reiatsu throb dangerously around them until the pressure made the noble's body quiver and begin to collapse. He held Byakuya on his feet, staring into the defiant grey eyes meaningfully.

"What are you doing?" Aizen asked darkly, "Are you playing us against each other? Trying to use that to escape?"

Byakuya struggled for breath as the limiter reacted to the strong pulses of power around them, weakening his body until he fell to his knees.

"I don't blame you for trying," Aizen went on, "but no matter what you and that useless crystal do, you will not overcome me. You will only die painfully if you try."

Byakuya panted harder, closing his eyes as the pressure of the limiter sucked his strength away faster and his head began to swim. He sensed Aizen moving closer and felt the strange distortion of the man's shikai. Instantly as Aizen's power took effect, his body calmed and his discomfort faded. He rested on his knees, still in the cave, but hidden from the hogyoku's perception as Aizen moved closer and smiled at him.

"So then, you have made a connection with it? The hogyoku is bonding with you? That is...fascinating."

Byakuya blinked in confusion.

"What are you saying?" he asked, "A moment ago, you were furious...and now...?"

Aizen's fingers curled under his chin, raising it so their eyes met.

"Sousuke?"

Aizen's fingertips traced Byakuya's lips gently and his dark eyes kept the noble's entranced.

"Tell me what happened between you,"

Byakuya glared back at him sullenly and remained silent.

"Byakuya?"

"I have no reason to tell you a thing!" the noble spat, "You have no right to act jealous over someone who doesn't belong to you, and who you are only planning to kill anyway!"

Aizen's lips smiled wickedly as he bent and let them touch Byakuya's blushing earlobe.

"My cruelty to you just now was to continue to lure the hogyoku into feeling protective of you. You are distracting it...as well as providing tantalizing information on its behavior."

"I am not in this to be your little _science experiment_ and I won't be used to manipulate the hogyoku's spirit!" Byakuya argued, "He is using what he learned from you to explore life, emotion, physical and heart connection. That soul is becoming more human!"

"Is that so?" Aizen mused, his eyes widening with curiosity.

"He had me fashion a body for him and he was, at first, overzealous in pursuing a physical connection, but I was able to begin to show him the proper way to channel his developing emotions."

"As I said, _fascinating_!" Aizen repeated, his eyes contemplative, "But then, I created the hogyoku from the remains of lost dreams and desires shed by dying souls. And trapped in the orb, the hogyoku cannot achieve its own dreams. I assumed that would keep it from becoming too desirous, itself. But...I hadn't counted on it seeking ways to escape the orb and seek true life. That is what it is doing. And if it succeeds, it will no longer function as I designed it to. Instead of granted the desires of others, it will become a human soul and focus on its own wants and needs."

"And you think that's wrong?" Byakuya asked, "Sousuke, you wanted to be separated from the hogyoku anyway. If there is a way to give him life, isn't that better than just destroying him?"

Aizen let out a soft huff of breath.

"That sounds very romantic," he said mockingly, "but you need to remember that the hogyoku has been exposed to my past, to my pain and to my way of thinking. Don't be mistaken, Byakuya. Don't be drawn into thinking of the hogyoku as an innocent being. If it is luring you this way, it wants something. And I think you know that what it wants...is to kill me and take you for itself. So, why don't you tell me what you intend to do? Are you going to cooperate with me as you promised and conduct the research I asked you to, or are you going to play games that will only get you and other innocent people killed?"

"Aren't you going to kill me anyway?" Byakuya said belligerently, "And why should I believe anything you agree upon with me? I cannot believe anything you say! Your promises are meaningless, Sousuke. You will do anything to get what you want and you will use anyone. You have let those atrocities in your past make you heartless. And that leaves me without hope. I am not going home alive. I have no reason to do a thing for you! Go ahead. Destroy me. You are going to do it anyway."

Byakuya's heart skipped and throbbed painfully as an icy rage flickered in the other man's dark brown eyes, then, just as quickly, dissipated. Aizen brought him back to his feet and smiled down at him for a moment, then turned away. He walked to where Arashi stood, dozing quietly, and whispered something into the stallion's ear. Arashi's head lifted and his blue eyes blinked slowly. Then, he turned back in the direction of home and trotted swiftly away from them.

"Why did you do that?" Byakuya asked, "Why did you let him go?"

Aizen walked slowly back to him and looked calmly into his widened eyes.

"I gave you something in return for your cooperation. I have let your cousin's stallion go and now they can’t be threatened to control you. It will also slow us down and give your allies more time to find us. It is a show of good will, ne? Does this satisfy you?"

"Somewhat," Byakuya said, eyeing him warily.

"Now then, there isn't enough time before we have to move on for you to search the archive. You can do that later."

Byakuya's eyes narrowed.

"Then, what would you have me do now?" he asked cautiously.

Aizen moved forward, backing Byakuya up until his back rested against a large boulder. His head bent slightly and his lips touched Byakuya's earlobe teasingly.

" _Compensation_ ," the traitor whispered, "You've been defiant...deceptive... _enchanting_! You've riled the hogyoku and you have riled me. Did you let it have its way with you, there inside the orb? It's only imaginary, right, Byakuya? You remain innocent, even as you bend both of us around your lovely little finger?"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Byakuya objected, "I told you. I only tried to help the hogyoku understand the emotions that arose from his contact with your past. I helped him to slow down and appreciate the things around him."

"What things around it?" Aizen asked, "It's all imaginary, Byakuya...all of it! The hogyoku is a trapped spirit. It has never experienced the outside world, only through me and only in the form of illusions. It is a corrupted and manipulative thing."

"He is a living soul!" Byakuya snapped fiercely, "And you denying that is the reason he has rebelled against you."

"No," Aizen said calmly, "that thing rebelled against me because I fell short of the ruthlessness required to reach my desires. It is not a living soul like you and me. It is just a gathering of pieces of many lost souls. I know this, Byakuya. I made that thing!"

"Well, what you created has evolved," Byakuya asserted, "and now he wants to experience the fullness of his own life. You can give him that. I don't know why you are so resistant to the idea."

"Perhaps because you are not seeing it as it really is. You are only seeing the hogyoku's false reflection. It is deceiving you."

"I see. But Sousuke, aren't you the one so fond of saying that _victors should not speak of the way the world is, but what it should be?_ How is this any different? The hogyoku doesn't have to be just a collection of pieces of lost souls. He can be a human soul. He can come to life."

"And," Aizen said, glaring into Byakuya's dark eyes, "do you think that if we give that thing life, it will not have dangerous ambitions? Mind that it will still have its powers and that it will continue to act on its own agenda, using everyone around it to reach its own goals."

Byakuya gave him a fleeting smile.

"Then," he said quietly, "you are saying that he is likely to grow up to be much like his _father_?"


	10. Mirage

Byakuya felt warm fingers touch the band on his wrist, then the welcome fading of some of the heavy reiatsu drain it had caused before. Aizen gave him a look of warning as he helped the noble to his feet and led him out of the cave they had been sleeping in.

"I have lessened the hold of the reiatsu draining device over you so that you can walk and do not have to be carried. But make no mistake, it will still bind you enough that if you waste energy on excessive talk or a pitiful escape attempt, you will not succeed."

Byakuya sighed and fell in alongside Aizen, quietly accepting the traitor's arm around him to steady him against the continued weakness the device was still causing.

"You are able to walk in the sand now, ne?"

Byakuya simply nodded and leaned against the other man as the two made their way forward.

"Won't leaving me stumbling allow my allies time to catch up to us?" he offered wearily.

"You have forgotten that Tetsuya’s stallion has been affected by my power,” Aizen said in an unconcerned tone, “Arashi will not be able to track us.”

Byakuya’s head bowed and his brow furrowed in thought.

_But…Arashi does know where he has been. He can lead Tetsuya to the last known point and my cousin can make a guess at where we are going, by extending the line of our progress. There is still hope._

“Very well,” he sighed softly, allowing himself to be guided forward.

He felt Aizen’s dark eyes watching him closely as they continued in the direction of the ancient palace. They moved forward slowly through the cold, dark sand with Aizen’s arm around him and steadying him. After several hours of walking, Aizen slowed and looked off to the left of their pathway.

“We are near an old outpost,” Aizen commented, “Come, there may still be provisions if it wasn’t discovered and plundered after I left here.”

Byakuya went along wordlessly, stumbling slightly from the weariness that nagged at him constantly because of the reiatsu limiter he wore. By the time they reached the secret entrance to the old outpost, he simply collapsed and was forced to endure being lifted and carried inside. As Aizen’s arms pulled him close, Byakuya’s hazy eyes caught sight of a nearby rise and a little cliff, just a short distance away from the entrance.

“You should have told me that you were tired,” Aizen chided him, “I could have given you time to rest.”

“I assume that rest is safer here,” Byakuya surmised, looking around at the seemingly untouched shelter.

Aizen set him carefully back on his feet and adjusted the limiter slightly.

“There is a shower,” he mentioned, “We are covered in dust. We can eat after.”

Aizen gave the noble a sly smile.

“There are limited supplies of water, so we will bathe together,” he said, loosening the tie at his waist and letting his clothing slide to the floor.

Byakuya showed no reaction as the traitor pulled free the tie at his waist, baring him, then taking his hand and leading him to the bathroom. The shower turned out to be small and just functional, but a lurid sigh of relief escaped the noble as hot water rained down on his filthy hair and skin. A little jolt went through him as he realized that Aizen had made a similar sound and had closed his eyes to savor the comfort. Exhausted from the long walk, Byakuya stood quietly, watching as Aizen lathered his body in foaming soap, scrubbing every inch, then carefully washing his hair. As he rinsed the soap away, he caught the noble staring, and he gave Byakuya a wicked grin.

“Ah, you are quite weary, aren’t you?” he commented, “But, I dare not weaken the limiter on you any more than I already have. You could escape.”

“I am not going to escape,” Byakuya argued, “I know that the only way to resolution is to move forward with you. And…I can take care of myself.”

“Oh, that wouldn’t do at all,” Aizen insisted, moving closer and applying the foaming soap to the noble’s back and shoulders.

Byakuya flinched at the first touch, but swiftly found himself unable to resist the strong caress of the other man’s hands.

“You are enjoying this,” Aizen mused as he felt Byakuya’s body relax into his embrace.

“I just hate being dirty,” the noble said, matter-of-factly, “I am accustomed at home to having an attendant bathe me. In addition, I find that I am to weakened to do a proper job myself right now.”

“Then, let me take care of you,” Aizen teased him, sliding a warm palm down his wet, soapy back and around the sweet curve of his bare bottom, where he lingered as he lowered his head to meet the noble for a kiss.

Byakuya stepped back, only to find himself backed up against the wall of the small shower, and his mouth being invaded roughly, as Aizen’s hands continued to slide over his slick, white flesh.

“Mmmmph, stop!” he snapped, trying to pull away.

He stiffened at hearing a little whisper in his ear.

“Keep resisting me. I am going to rile the hogyoku purposely.”

Byakuya was sure he couldn’t have made himself hold still anyway, as Aizen’s mouth clamped down on his and the man’s hot, probing tongue plunged in between the noble’s stiffened lips, forcing its way inside and plundering every inch. Aizen’s fingers lingered over the soapy nubs on Byakuya’s heaving chest, teasing them until the resisting noble’s privates rebelled against him. Byakuya gapsed as Aizen’s body pressed up harder against his, and one hand slid downward to touch and tease his virgin entrance.

“S-stop!” Byakuya hissed, closing his eyes against the helplessness he felt to avoid what he was sure was coming next, “Sousuke, stop!”

 _What are you doing?_ The hogyoku’s voice demanded, _You remember our agreement!_

Aizen’s lips curved into a devilish smile.

 _I remember_ , he sent back, his hands continuing to prepare Byakuya’s trapped body, _But this is too much for any long deprived male to bear. Such loveliness. Such sweetness and softness. You paid no real price going to Muken, because, as you said, you could just avoid feeling my pain and discomfort. The hands of the guards never hurt you as they beat me. You never delved into my suffering that way, not for a moment. You invaded my past because it was necessary, but it wasn’t useful to you to know how it hurt to be a prisoner. Now, you see that it made my needs so great that I can’t resist this temptation. We will find another virgin to use for the ceremony. I am taking Byakuya now. You, of course, may involve yourself, so as to feel it too, or you can close yourself off._

The orb in his chest seethed.

_No! Do not dare! Do not touch him or I will…!_

Aizen’s brown eyes darkened dangerously as he caressed Byakuya’s soft thigh and the noble’s limb trembled in response.

 _You see_ , Aizen went on, _even with you trying to steal him away, Byakuya is drawn to me. The resonance is strong between Byakuya and me, not Byakuya and you._

The orb in his chest flashed warningly and Byakuya’s body quivered as a shock passed through him, leaving him barely able to stand.

 _Stop_ , the hogyoku hissed, _Stop, or I will kill him. I will murder him while you hold him!_

Byakuya shuddered as Aizen’s hands captured his face and angled it downward so that the hogyoku could register the terrified look in his eyes.

“You see, Byakuya,” Aizen said aloud, “You heard for yourself how easily it was manipulated and how easily it turned from desiring you to wanting to end your life. Now, do you really think that a _thing_ like that deserves any fate, but destruction?”

“Sousuke,” Byakuya objected.

He shrank away as Aizen leaned forward, bringing the orb closer, so that it was nearly touching the noble’s pale breast. Byakuya shrank back, struggling.

“S-sousuke, don’t!” he gasped.

 _Byakuya,_ the orb’s voice spoke into the noble’s reeling mind, _You are…afraid of me? I’ve made you fear me?_

“Why wouldn’t Byakuya fear you?” Aizen asked pointedly, “He felt your anger, your jealousy, your hatred, and he heard you threaten to kill him, just to keep me from touching him.”

“Damn you both!” Byakuya howled, tearing free of Aizen’s grasp and inciting a look of surprise on the traitor’s face as he burst out of the shower, grabbing his dressing yukata and defying the restraint of the limiter as he ran for the entrance to the outpost.

_I will probably pass out soon, because of the strain on my body, but if I can just reach it!_

He ran up the rise he had spotted earlier, his heart pounding as he sensed Aizen following.

_Just don’t let him catch me for a few more steps. Kami, please!_

He forced his feet to keep moving, despite the rising feeling of nausea and intense dizziness. He took the final few steps to the edge of the little cliff he had seen upon their arrival, and used the last of his strength to throw himself over the edge. His vision dimmed and he began to lose consciousness. The last thing he heard was Sousuke Aizen screaming his name.

XXXXXXXXXX

“Hey,” Kisuke greeted Tetsuya and Renji as the two flash stepped into his laboratory and skidded to a stop, “you two are back pretty quick. Did you find something?”

“There was nothing telling in the area we went to search,” said Tetsuya, “and I did not sense that Arashi was there.”

“But ol’ fleabag did show up while we were there,” Renji reported excitedly, “And he says that he remembers where he went with Byakuya and someone that he thought was Tetsuya!”

“It was probably Aizen, using his illusions,” Tetsuya added, “We are heading out now to trace their path, and from that, we should be able to figure out where they are going.”

“Fleabag said that Byakuya seemed weak, barely able to walk on his own.”

“Do you know if it was from an injury?” Kisuke asked.

“We aren’t sure,” Tetsuya said worriedly, “What is especially worrisome is that if Aizen was making a play for avoiding a return to the prison, he should have made contact with Central 46, the Gotei 13 or the Kuchiki family to bargain for Byakuya’s safe return.”

“Kinda sounds like Aizen doesn’t plan to return him, doesn’t it?” Kisuke said, furrowing his brow in thought, “We need to get into the desert and find out where they were going.”

“Wouldn’t Aizen probably head for Las Noches?” Renji asked, “Or would that be too obvious?”

“It’s an obvious destination,” Kisuke agreed, “but even so, if he’s got his powers, Aizen is more than capable of regaining control of the fortress and setting up defenses. If that is his destination, we need to move fast to catch up with him and stop him.”

“But, if he’s got his powers, how in the hell are we going to stop him? You remember what it took before to get him?”

“Oh, I remember,” Kisuke sighed, “But don’t worry. We’re all significantly stronger than we were when we faced him before. Besides, you and Tetsuya are going to have some serious help.”

“Oh?” Tetsuya and Renji said, exchanging curious glances.

Kisuke nodded.

“Ichigo and I will go too. And we’ll bring Orihime along to treat whatever injuries Byakuya might have sustained. We’re going to have to leave quickly. I’ll have Tessai help me get some provisions together. Orihime and Ichigo are already here. You can go and tell her what’s up while I go and talk to Ichigo.”

“I could go and tell Ichigo, if you need to see to the provisions as well,” Tetsuya offered.

“Well, I might take you up on that,” Kisuke said, smirking, “except that Ichigo’s kinda naked and cuddled up in my bed, at the moment.”

Tetsuya blushed brightly and Kisuke laughed.

“Hey, don’t you tease my husband,” Renji chided the shopkeeper.

“Sorry,” Kisuke laughed, good naturedly, “Couldn’t help myself.”

“It’s all right, Mr. Urahara,” Tetsuya said gamely.

“How many times do I have to tell you? It’s Kisuke.”

“Come on,” Renji said, curling an arm around his flustered spouse, “Let’s go and find Orihime.”

Kisuke watched the two as they left.

“You know not to take that guy seriously,” Renji said, nuzzling Tetsuya affectionately.

“Except when we are all in danger. Then he is one hundred percent serious.”

“You’ve got it,” Renji said, leading Tetsuya away.

“Cute,” the shopkeeper snickered, heading out of his lab and down the hallway to his bedroom.

He pushed the door open and peeked inside.

Ichigo laid in the bed, naked under the blankets and curled around a pile of soft pillows. He stirred as Kisuke approached the bed and opened one golden brown eye to look up at him.

“What’s goin’ on?” the young man asked, yawning and looking at the clock, “Damn! I didn’t mean to sleep so long. Why didn’t you wake me up?”

“You seemed pretty tired after all of our lovemaking,” Kisuke said, smirking, “I was being nice, strawberry.”

“Yeah?” Ichigo laughed softly, “Well, I’ve got more. C’mon to bed.”

“Sorry, lover,” Kisuke apologized, “We have something we’ve gotta do.”

Ichigo sat up in the bed, his expression suddenly serious.

“Did Tetsuya and Renji find something?”

“Yeah,” the shopkeeper confirmed, “They didn’t find anything at in the wooded area Tetsuya remembered, but Arashi caught up with them there and told them that he had been in Hueco Mundo with Byakuya and someone he thought was Tetsuya, but was probably Aizen, using his illusions. He said Byakuya seemed weak, like he could be injured, or maybe Aizen is just really restricting his reiatsu because he knows Byakuya’s gotten more powerful.”

“So, we’re going to Hueco Mundo?” Ichigo inquired.

“Yeah,” Kisuke confirmed, “Arashi will take us to the last place he remembers them being, and we will try to figure out from that just where Aizen was going. He might be heading for Las Noches.”

“That would make sense, if he was looking for a place to dig in and fight off the Gotei 13.”

“My thinking too, but just to be sure, we’ll follow where Arashi carried them first. We’re not going to beat them to Las Noches anyway, if that’s their destination. And if it’s not their destination, at least we’ll know and we can make some guesses about where they _are_ headed.”

“You look like you’d rather they were going to the fortress,” Ichigo noted.

“Yeah,” the shopkeeper admitted, “because, if they are going to the fortress and Aizen’s digging in, then Byakuya has value as a hostage, and Aizen will keep him alive.”

“What if they’re headed somewhere else?” asked Ichigo, “What then?”

“I don’t know if we wanna think about that,” Kisuke said darkly, “Remember, I’ve got quite a bit of knowledge about that place, especially since we’ve been on better terms with Grimmjow and Harribel over there. There’s a whole lot of not nice places, things and twisted hollows out there. I don’t like Byakuya’s prospects if Aizen has something else in mind for him.”

“What do you think he would do?” Ichigo asked worriedly, “You think he’ll kill Byakuya?”

“There are worse things than death,” Kisuke said, lowering his eyes, “I think you know that, don’t you?”

“Yeah,” Ichigo answered, climbing out of the bed and reaching for his clothes, “So, let’s get going.”

“Hey,” Kisuke said somberly, “Just remember that you’re still not one hundred percent yet. You’re recovering really well. We don’t want you blowing out your spark plugs and leaving yourself powerless again. We just got you back in working order.”

“Don’t worry,” Ichigo assured him, “I’ll be careful. But I’m going to help Byakuya.”

“I’m going too!” Rukia said from the doorway.

Ichigo gave a surprised yelp and ducked his half-dressed body behind a grinning Kisuke.

“Oh, come on,” Rukia scolded him, “I’ve seen you without your clothes before. It’s not like there’s anything I’d want to see.”

“Whoa! That’s a little harsh, don’t you think?” Ichigo complained.

Rukia rolled her eyes.

“Get ready, will you? Byakuya is out there somewhere and he needs our help. You aren’t going to help him if you’re hiding behind your boyfriend.”

“You wanna scram then?” Ichigo snapped, “I’ll finished getting dressed and I’ll be right there.”

“Whatever,” Rukia sighed, turning away, “Just hurry up.”

Ichigo watched her leave, then turned his attention back to his clothing.

“She really needs to lighten up,” he grumbled.

“She’s worried,” Kisuke said, looking in the direction that Rukia had gone, “And she should be. Aizen on the loose, using his powers and maybe having use of the hogyoku is not something we want to have to deal with. And having Byakuya as his hostage makes it even worse. I’m someone who can calculate odds and figure out thousands of possibilities…and I’m telling you, Ichigo, there are just too damned many ways that this could go wrong!”


	11. Simple Things

Within the hidden outpost, Aizen laid Byakuya’s unconscious body in a bed within the officers’ quarters, quickly assessing the damage and beginning an infusion of healing reiatsu. His dark eyes burned with unconcealed rage as he first restored the noble’s reiatsu, then he swiftly addressed damaged organs, before turning his attention to several badly broken bones. He felt the roiling emotions within the hogyoku as he labored to save the noble’s life, but remained focused on Byakuya, to the exclusion of all else. It wasn’t until the last of his wounds were healed and Byakuya rested, sleeping in his arms, that he turned his attention to the shocked orb.

 _Why?_ the hogyoku demanded, _Why did he do that? One of the strongest desires souls have is to live. But, for a moment, Byakuya’s only thought was to escape us. And he knew that there was no way to do that, except through death. I never thought he would choose something like that._

“It was bound to happen,” Aizen said in a low, angry voice, “He was humanizing you, and I think you rather enjoyed using that to gain his attention.”

 _I did desire his attention_ , the spirit in the orb confessed, _but he was always distracted by you._

“And that made you jealous,” Aizen concluded.

_You desire him, and he returns that emotion. But, you drive him away with your ruthlessness and selfishness. That is why he was responding to me._

“But you must have noticed the way he drew back every time you tried to seduce him. Even though he was pleased by the development of your emotions, your reckless, thoughtless actions, and your brutality, made him rightfully fear you. Remember, you directly threatened his life simply to try to manipulate me. Was his life worth so little to you that you would cast it away like that?”

_I was angry._

“That much is clear. And because you live in that orb, and all you know of what is out here is what you felt in the thrall of my illusions, you don’t feel the reality of the consequences. You terrified him to the point where he could no longer tolerate being your captive. Better to exert control over his own life and death than to suffer your deadly turns of emotion anymore.”

_At least I am capable of loving him. You only want to use him. That is what all of this has been about!_

“Has it?” Aizen mused, “Let me ask you something. Who is the one of us who did not want Byakuya to be killed in this foray? You didn’t just desire his death. You demanded it as part of our agreement.”

 _And you made that agreement, heartlessly_ , the orb accused him.

“I think you know that I had an agenda, just like you had one. You discovered a way you might be able to kill me and steal Byakuya’s love, didn’t you?”

_What are you…?_

“Come now. You didn’t think I fell for your suggestion that we use the ancient blade to kill Byakuya and to give you a body. You didn’t want Byakuya’s body for that purpose. You wanted him close, so that you could use his anger over my betrayal to convince him to kill me and use my body to give you life!”

_And you just went along with me so that you could try to convince Byakuya that all of the evil in you was because of me, and that he should destroy me!_

“You made him want to destroy you,” Aizen said coldly, “You showed him that you have no conscience, and that drove him away from you.”

_No! Byakuya understood that I am impulsive because I lack experience with the world outside this crystal! He was beginning to open his heart to me._

“But he realized at the end, didn’t he?” Aizen said solemnly, “He came to the understanding that you are a corrupted soul, and you can’t be allowed out of that crystal with the amount and type of power you have, because you have never had to face real consequences for your actions.”

 _This is a real consequence_ , the spirit acknowledged, _I don’t want Byakuya to die._

“Then, if you don’t want him to die, we need to find another answer. The truth is simply this. I want to be rid of you and you want to escape the orb and experience life. But, your fears have already wreaked havoc. When you exit the orb, if Byakuya is killed and you are placed in his body, you will no longer be immortal. You will be powerful, but you will lash out to keep anyone who might attack you from having the chance to kill you. Your paranoia will consume you, and you will lose your mind. If Byakuya uses the blade to kill me, and you are placed in my body, you will have immortality, but Byakuya will be terrified of you. He will try to run from you and if you corner him, he will destroy himself, rather than tolerate your deadly love.”

 _But, you want Byakuya to use the blade to destroy me_ , the hogyoku accused him, _You have manipulated him from the beginning to see me as inhuman!_

“You are not human,” Aizen reminded him, “And as corrupt as you are, you would be too dangerous if freed from the orb. Byakuya knows that. It is why he tried to help you understand your emotions. But, because you are without conscience, without respect for the very real consequences of your actions, even with your greater abilities sealed, right now, you are destructive. You only need to think about what pushed Byakuya to become suicidal.”

_That was your doing! You provoked me!_

“And you showed what your instincts are.”

_Any living thing will instinctively act out when it feels threatened!_

“Ah,” Aizen said pointedly, “but how exactly were you threatened? I only indicated that I was going to make love to the man I love. You were the one ready to kill him, just to keep me from touching him. This actually occurs in some people. Usually, relationships with that dysfunction end in a murder of murder-suicide. Either way, Byakuya sensed your deadly plans for him. Before that point, he feared me more than he feared you.”

_He fears me now?_

“Yes. And while the fear he felt before was manageable, now he is terrified of you. Watch what happens when he wakes. He will not want the orb to touch him. He will cringe when you speak into his mind. His body will shake at any connection with you. Byakuya understands now that you are not capable of being reformed. And when we reach the old palace, he will agree, though regretfully, because he is a man of conscience, that you must be destroyed.”

_But, even with him unconscious, I can feel his strong desire to offer me hope._

“Yes, Byakuya is a good person, who believes in finding the best in others and bringing it out. He tried bringing out the best in you, but he failed to find a way to bring you to life without endangering everything and everyone around you. Your power only functions in bringing to life desires that are possible.”

_You are saying that it is not possible to bring me to life?_

“Oh, it is possible. But Byakuya is not going to do it, and neither am I. When you threatened to kill him out of jealousy, you shut down that pathway, yourself.”

_But, I know very well that pathways can change. I will convince him…_

“Look at him,” Aizen said, touching Byakuya’s face gently, “He is too fragile and fearful now for you to manipulate. We need to give him some hope that all is not lost, so that he can regain his fighting spirit. We have a fixed time in which to do that. We are nearing the old palace. Once we reach it, our fate is upon us.”

_I know you mean for this to be the end of me, but I warn you, I will fight you to the end, Aizen Sousuke!_

“Of course you will,” Aizen said sedately, “because that is the kind of monster you have become.”

XXXXXXXXXX

Kisuke descended the long ladder, into his underground training area and found Tetsuya standing alongside Arashi and a second stallion, a lovely paint horse with large grey eyes that immediately reminded the shopkeeper of Byakuya’s.

“Well, who is this?” Kisuke asked, first patting Arashi, then moving to stand in front of the paint stallion.

“This is Byakuya’s spirit steed, Ikazuchi,” Tetsuya explained, “He is a normal spirit steed, so he does not share Byakuya’s powers as Arashi shares mine. But, he does have a bond with my cousin that may help in the search, and he has not been hypnotized by Aizen as Arashi was, so will not be led astray by any illusions meant to impede us.”

“Good thinking,” Kisuke said approvingly, “That’s great, Tetsuya.”

“Ikazuchi will carry Rukia and Orihime,” Tetsuya went on, “and Renji and I will be aboard Arashi.”

“Ichigo has a device that Yoruichi gave him, so he’ll be overhead,” Kisuke added, “And I’ll be along on foot.”

“You will be on foot?” Tetsuya repeated uncertainly.

“Not to worry,” Kisuke chuckled, “I’ve got some tricks up my sleeve. I’ll keep up with you. Don’t worry.”

“Of course,” Tetsuya agreed.

Their conversation paused as Rukia and Orihime dropped down into the training room, carrying packs on their backs. They were follow a moment later by Ichigo and Renji. The two young women mounted Ikazuchi, who glanced back at them and nickered at Rukia.

“Hello, Ikazuchi,” Rukia replied, patting his neck gently, “We’re going to go and find Byakuya.”

The paint stallion tossed his head and moved closer to Arashi as Tetsuya mounted, then helped Renji mount behind him. The garganta opened in front of the group and they proceeded into the dark underground cavern that led to the hollow world, with Kisuke laying down a smooth, shining reiatsu trail for them to follow. They saw no others passing through and the only sounds were drips of water and the echoing sound of their feet on the glowing pathway. They reached the other side of the cavern without incident and dropped down, onto the dark, cold sands of Hueco Mundo.

 _Arashi_ , Tetsuya addressed his stallion, using the internal communication they shared, _I want you to head to the nearest point where you crossed with Byakuya and the person you thought was me._

Arashi’s wispy voice gave him a quick affirmative, and he led the others forward.

“Ikazuchi,” Tetsuya directed the paint horse, “we will need you to sense the places Arashi takes us and tell us if there are any signs of their passage. If Aizen was covering their tracks, then none of us but you and Ichigo will be able to see through the illusions.”

Ikazuchi tossed his head in response and quickened his step to stay at Arashi’s side. Ichigo soared overhead, his sharp eyes scanning the area around.

“We shouldn’t need to worry about the weaker hollows out here,” Renji said, peering into the darkness, “But as we get further in, we’re probably going to have to show some muscle.”

“Maybe,” Ichigo said, from where he hovered above them, “but I actually think Kisuke came prepared with some things to warn hollows not to mess with us. I think we’ll be able to put our minds to finding Byakuya. Let’s focus on that.”

Arashi came to a stop, pausing to sniff the ground. Ikazuchi did the same and gave a little nod.

“It looks as though there was no attempt here to deceive us,” Tetsuya concluded.

Arashi started to walk again and Ikazuchi fell in beside him.

“Is this the way to Las Noches?” Rukia asked, “It…looks like it’s kind of going in that direction.”

“But I would have expected that Aizen would at least try to cover his tracks a little,” Renji mused.

“Remember, we’re dealing with Aizen,” Ichigo said dryly, “He may not care of we follow.”

“Cocky bastard…” Renji muttered, “C’mon, let’s go find him!”

XXXXXXXXXX

Byakuya rose slowly out of unconsciousness, groaning in distress at the flashes of residual pain that remained despite the fact that he was sure he had been healed. He blinked several times, a flicker of annoyance, then agitation going through him as he realized that he was blindfolded. He tried to move his arms, but found that they were securely bound to the bed he laid in, and that his legs and waist were secured as well. To ad humiliation, he had been gagged, so he was unable to demand an explanation. He felt the bed shift and the warmth of another body beside his. Then, hot breath made his cheek and throat flush brightly as Aizen’s voice sounded smoothly in his ear.

“Forgive me, Byakuya, but after all of the effort I went to so that I could save your life, it was necessary to take steps to make sure that you didn’t attempt to kill yourself again.”

Byakuya seethed beneath his bindings, his reiatsu swelling under the seal placed on his powers. Aizen smiled, and after letting the noble continue to fume for a few more moments, he removed the gag, but the left the blindfold and other bindings in place.

“That was an extremely rash action you took,” he chided the noble, “especially, when I did warn you about what I was doing and why.”

“You two were fighting over me like some kind of thing you both wanted to possess,” Byakuya snapped furiously.

He pulled against the bindings, then made a sound of pain as he impacted the sensitive nerves of his recently healed shoulders and back.

“You should really hold still,” Aizen advised him, “I don’t mean for this to be painful, or even punitive. It is just that you have to hold still and rest so that the shock that is causing the residual pain from the healed wounds will go away. I did give you a pain block, but what can I say? You threw yourself off a cliff…luckily not a high enough one or the hogyoku and I would be searching for an alternative to you. And let me just say, I am glad you failed in your attempt.”

Aizen’s warm lips touched Byakuya’s earlobe, spreading the deepening blush that was overtaking his pale features.

“I have become even more fond of you on this trip.”

“I do not want to ask how you treat a hostage who you _do not_ feel attracted to,” Byakuya said heatedly.

“I can assure you that I don’t do this,” Aizen said, sinking deeply into the restrained noble’s protesting mouth.

Byakuya renewed his struggle, trying to turn his head away, but only finding that Aizen moved with him, plunging his tongue between the noble’s objecting lips and forcing his mouth open wider. The traitor’s body pressed up against his and Byakuya shrank away as he felt the smooth orb that remained implanted in Aizen’s chest. The traitor broke away suddenly, noting the visible shudder that went through Byakuya’s struggling body.

“Ah, my apologies for letting it touch you through our clothing. It must be unnerving for you to even be close to it now. After all, it did threaten to kill you. Not that I would have allowed such a thing.”

“You were the one planning to kill me in the first place!” Byakuya exclaimed.

“I suppose I don’t expect you to understand, but I do expect you to be more cooperative. We are not going to get far with you kicking and digging your heels in like a mule. I suppose that I could subdue you with Kyoka Suigetsu, but I would much rather gain your cooperation.”

“I will _never_ agree to help you!” Byakuya spat, “I do not want anything to do with you or that maniacal _thing_ in your chest! You are both insane!”

“Yes,” Aizen agreed, running his tongue very slowly along the noble’s pale throat and teasing his blushing earlobe again, “We are insane and we are completely in control of your destiny right now. If you want to live, then you need to remain calm and do exactly as I tell you. Do you understand?”

Byakuya panted softly, considering for a moment.

“And, if I agree to be cooperative, then you will untie me?” he inquired.

“No,” Aizen said firmly.

“No?” Byakuya repeated angrily.

“Absolutely not,” Aizen said, pressing up against his side and running his fingers along the fine curves of the noble’s comely face, “You see, I already allowed you that freedom, and you thanked me for that generosity by running away and trying to kill yourself. I’ve become quite enamored of you, and so I can’t have you running off and dying recklessly.”

“You would rather drive a sword into my heart, yourself, like you did to Momo!” Byakuya said scathingly, “I _know_ what happens to those who cooperate with you. I will not trust you, not for a moment!”

Aizen’s lips curved into a cruel smile.

“You know I never require anyone’s trust, Byakuya,” he laughed softly, “But I do require that you do as I tell you. When you do not, you must expect I will treat you accordingly.”

“And what does that mean?” Byakuya demanded.

“Well,” Aizen chuckled, for tonight, it means that you will have to sleep, bound and blindfolded.”

“Are you crazy?” Byakuya objected, “We are deep in hollow territory, near where the hollow vamps and ookami seirei reside! Even someone like you must respect the insidious nature of those beasts. And with just you and me…”

“But it isn’t just you and me,” Aizen said calmly, “It is you, me and the hogyoku.”

He could feel the burning fury in the noble’s eyes where they glared under the blindfold.

“I would rather sleep with the hollow vamps!” Byakuya hissed icily.

The noble went a shade paler as Aizen breathed a reply into his ear and he felt Kyoka Suigetsu’s power building.

“Well, if it’s hollow vamps you want, I think I can oblige you.”


	12. Love Undying

Aizen Sousuke’s smooth, deep voice echoed in Byakuya’s suddenly hazy mind as it fell into a long, dizzying spin at his wily captor’s command.

“Shatter.”

He knew that it was an illusion, but a sigh of relief escaped him as he felt the dreariness of Hueco Mundo fade away, and instead found himself returned to his home and walking in the gardens he loved. But almost immediately, he realized that something didn’t seem right. Although everything should have been bright and colorful in the gardens, instead, he only saw shades of grey, as though the falling of night had destroyed all of the more lovely variance. Still, just that little contact with his home and the people he loved seemed a comfort after his capture and the forced journey through the hollow lands.

_Lifelessness weighs heavily on the living. The constant absence of light and warmth drains the spirit. And that is why our contacts with the hollow world are limited. Our leaders know that it would damage living souls to be in a dead place for long._

Byakuya’s mind was suddenly shocked with an image of Aizen Sousuke, bound in heavy, reiatsu suppressing leather restraints, and with all of his senses restricted. And even stranger was the way he was able to exit the colorless gardens and walk, unchallenged, into the prison, where he approached the bound man and observed him quietly.

“May I ask you something?” the hougyoku’s voice asked, eliciting a quickening of the noble’s heart as he turned to look at the humanoid form that he had been allowed to create for the orb.

Byakuya noticed a little flash of regret in the other man’s eyes at his reaction.

“I am sorry,” the hougyoku apologized, “I know you are repulsed by me now, because of the way I acted when Aizen provoked me.”

Byakuya’s lips stiffened for a moment, then relaxed again.

“You lack experience in understanding your awakened emotions and in controlling your responses. My heart tells me that you would have first killed me, then you would have realized what you had done and you would have regretted it.”

“I regret even more that I have made you afraid of me. I didn’t want that.”

“I know,” Byakuya said solemnly, “and I do not choose to feel fear of you willingly. It is natural to fear that which is a real threat to one’s life. You must realize that most of your learning has been done in an unreal environment, where, if you made a mistake, you could take it back. One of the limiting factors of real life is that you can’t always undo your mistakes. There are some things that you can learn through trial and error, but there are some things that you have to accept as permanent results, once your decisions are made.”

“I am beginning to see that now.”

Byakuya gave him a little smile of approval, then he turned his attention to the bound man in front of them.

“Why am I seeing this?” Byakuya asked, “I know that Sousuke bound me and used his Kyouka Suigetsu to begin this illusion. What is the purpose?”

It was the hougyoku’s turn to smile.

“I think, with my master, you must assume there are multiple purposes for what is happening.”

Byakuya nodded.

“I believe you are right.”

He continued to study Aizen’s bound form as the hougyoku observed him.

“How does this make you feel?” the hougyoku inquired.

Byakuya thought carefully for a moment.

“I feel regret,” he admitted.

“For what?”

Byakuya closed his eyes for several minutes, considering carefully, then he opened them again.

“It burdens my heart to see someone I care about take a dark path like this. I have come to understand, as I did not before, the things that made him choose as he did, but even understanding why will not undo the consequences. If Sousuke is captured, he will be returned to Muken. And if he does not have you to extend his life, he will die there before his sentence is fully carried out. It is the waste of a life.”

“Do you think his sentence was unjust?” the hougyoku asked.

“That is a difficult question for me to answer. He chose to betray his comrades. He chose to murder those councilors and to start a war.”

“He would say that it was the only way to receive justice for what was done to his family.”

“Yes,” Byakuya said in a troubled tone, “he would say that.”

“Is it true?”

Byakuya let out a long breath.

“I do not think it is true, but even though there were other paths, somehow the one he chose became the only one that he could see,” Byakuya explained, “What I regret is that I feel that if I had known what he was suffering, what he was thinking back then, perhaps I could have eased his suffering and even offered him help.”

The hougyoku frowned.

“You think there was a time in which you might have turned him from this path?” he asked the noble.

The area around the two flickered and shifted, and they found themselves standing in Aizen’s cabin, watching as a teenaged Byakuya worked on his calligraphy at a table near an open window. Aizen entered the room and paused for a moment to admire the young man appreciatively, and the two observers could hear the content of his thoughts.

_He is quite lovely, and speaking to him is not at all like speaking to other nobles. Byakuya has heart and conscience. I only wonder how long it will last. I watch, and day by day, the expectations placed on Byakuya eat away at his innocence. I can see that he understands the faults in his environment. I know he wants to make a difference. I hate that hopes like that are doomed to fail because of the corruption that taints the noble families. As much as he knows in his heart what is right and wrong, Byakuya will conform to their expectations. He will be the good noble son and, whether he agrees with their ways or not, he will accept them. I wish that I could freeze time here and stop it from changing him._

“Is that really what he was thinking?” Byakuya asked.

The hougyoku nodded.

“Remember that my experience was gained by examining his life and reliving his experiences. This is exactly what he was thinking as he looked at you.”

“And I did live up to that expectation,” Byakuya concluded, “I just wonder if there is a way now to turn us off of the path we are on and to find an alternative to him returning to Muken or dying.”

The hougyoku gave Byakuya a look of surprise.

“You still love him? Even with everything he has done?” he asked, “Even with what he is doing now?”

Byakuya let out a long sigh.

“One does not stop loving a person, just because that person has made mistakes. I have made mistakes too, and I hope that I can overcome them. I just…look at Sousuke and wonder if he has passed the point of no return. Are we so far along this path that he cannot be saved?”

Byakuya looked on curiously as the hougyoku retreated into his mind for several minutes, his face reflecting deep thought and careful reflection. He longed to ask what the man was doing, then realized he already knew.

_The hougyoku’s power is to be able to read the deepest desire of our hearts. He is reading our hearts and the open pathways. If there is any way to know if there is a viable path to Sousuke earning his freedom, then he will find it._

Byakuya’s eyes widened as a sudden look of fear and torment passed over the hougyoku’s handsome face and he shuddered in reaction.

“Are you all right?” he asked quickly, laying a hand on the hougyoku’s arm.

The hougyoku remained silent and looking quietly down into Byakuya’s worried eyes for a moment. His fingers traced the noble’s frowning lips, then curled around his cheek.

“You still care for a soul that wanted to kill you out of jealousy?” he asked, looking surprised.

Byakuya nodded.

“You made a mistake,” he explained, “And although it could have had horrible consequences, we avoided them. I think you have learned something from that mistake. If I can, I want to help you.”

“Why would you want that?”

“Because we are friends.”

“I don’t know how to be a friend,” the hougyoku said, looking away.

“I think that you do,” Byakuya persisted, capturing his face and making their eyes meet again, “Isn’t that what you were doing when you examined our desires and tried to find the path I was hoping existed?”

The hougyoku paused, considering.

“I care about you also,” he confessed, “that is why I looked for you.”

“And what did you find?” Byakuya asked, a look of cautious hopefulness rising in his eyes, “Is there a way to free Sousuke and to give us a future without him continuing his destructive plans?”

A little shiver passed through the hougyoku’s constructed body.

“There is.”

He felt a deep ache of mingled happiness and devastation as renewed liveliness flooded the beautiful noble’s face and body. Inexplicably, Byakuya smiled genuinely and the hougyoku’s heart melted. He captured Byakuya’s lovely face in gentle hands and offered him a tender, lingering kiss. Byakuya made a sound of surprise as the hougyoku’s constructed form began to fade.

“What is happening?” he cried, staring in dismay.

“Don’t worry,” the hougyoku assured him, “everything will be all right. I promise you.”

Byakuya found himself in sudden darkness and silence, unable to move for fear of what lay in the gripping blackness. As he stood, feeling the heavy, fast pounding of his heart, a warm hand took his and led him away.

“Sousuke?” he queried, “Where are we going?”

“I am using your light to find the way,” Aizen answered in a strange, echoing voice, “Ah, this is it. This is the path we want.”

“I don’t understand,” Byakuya said, blinking his unseeing eyes, “There is no light. It is dark all around us.”

“No,” Aizen assured him, “It is just that we can’t see our own light. But we can see each other’s. Look and see mine.”

Byakuya took a steadying breath and peered in the direction of the other man’s voice. As they moved forward together, a soft glow began to illuminate Aizen’s body, easing the tension inside the noble and allowing them to proceed.

“Where are we going?” Byakuya asked, “Are we dreaming?”

“We are and we aren’t,” Aizen said, leading Byakuya into what looked to be a large, handsomely furnished bedroom, “You remember, I used Kyouka Suigetsu to create this illusion.”

Byakuya frowned.

“You mean, what happened before with the colorless scenes, with the hougyoku, that was all part of this illusion?” asked Byakuya, an edge of disappointment seeping into his voice.

Aizen gave him a curious look.

“What are you talking about?” he asked, “My illusion just brought you here. If the hougyoku spoke to you, it was not part of this. This, Byakuya, is what you asked for.”

The light around Byakuya brightened, bringing the room into focus and illuminating it so that Byakuya could finally see normally again. His breath caught and his eyes widened as he took in the hauntingly beautiful sight of Aizen Sousuke, redrawn as one of the enchanting and deadly hollow vamps, his pale flesh gone white and his wicked brown eyes infused with sparks of malevolent red and gold. And like those ghostly, undead hollow spirits, he seemed to float instead of walk as he closed in on Byakuya and slid chillingly strong arms around him. He smiled, revealing sharp, white fangs, and Byakuya felt the man’s eyes glaring into his, the dulcet, seductive sound of the man’s voice luring him so that he gave no resistance to being borne down onto the bed and very slowly deprived of his clothing.

He laid, naked and staring helplessly into Aizen’s rapturous gaze as his smiling mouth opened to reveal shining white fangs. Still holding Byakuya with his paralyzing stare, he moved closer to first run lascivious eyes over the noble’s pale, sweet scented body, then to use just his fingertips to trace the beauty laid out in front of him.

 _Will you make me live again?_ The vamp-Aizen’s voice hissed in Byakuya’s confused mind, _Or will I kill you?_

Aizen’s head bowed and he brushed icy lips against Byakuya’s warmer ones, making them blush as the two men kissed. He opened his mouth, exposing the sharp, white fangs again, then froze for a moment, marveling as Byakuya’s lips parted and his soft, pink tongue ran over the threatening fangs, tempting Aizen mercilessly.

“You don’t know what you are unleashing,” he warned the noble, “but you are about to learn.”

He bared his fangs and snapped at Byakuya’s pale, exposed throat, biting down and beginning a desperate, frenzied feeding. Byakuya gasped at the sudden shock of pain, but almost immediately, the hollow vamp’s venom made his body relax. He looked up into the voracious gaze of the feeding vamp, his heart pounding as his lifeblood was stolen away. It should have terrified him to lie frozen, beneath the vamp’s body, fully aware he was dying, but trapped in the chilling beauty of his slow demise at the vamp-Aizen’s hands.

He could see that his own skin was going paler and beginning to look as white at the vamp’s. And as his life seeped away, he began to be able to move again. And instead of pushing away, he clung to Aizen, snapping back with his own fangs that had formed, latching on and feeding until both were sated and left lying in each other’s arms.

The vamp-Aizen’s eyes found his and fresh chills moved through Byakuya’s undead body as a more erotic hunger rose in the other vamp’s lurid gaze. Aizen’s mouth sought his for a bout of blood-tinged kisses and his cold hands caressed Byakuya’s slender body as it reared up against his. Aizen rose up and knelt on the bed, pulling the vamp-Byakuya onto his lap and invading his body slowly, watching the rising lust in the vamp-noble’s possessed eyes and feeling an unusually deep connection opening up between them. He held Byakuya in place, letting him adjust for a moment, then his hips moved and Byakuya made a sound that ignited everything inside him and made it impossible for him to think anymore.

All he could do was to hold on tightly to Byakuya’s soft bottom, encouraging as it rose and fell, delivering dizzying friction and melting throbs of pleasure. Byakuya, too, seemed to lose himself in the exchange, writhing hard against Aizen and moaning helplessly in full surrender. He threw Byakuya down on his back, watching raptly as the noble’s body impacted with the bed and his hair splayed out on the white sheets, and lacing their fingers together as their bodies joined roughly again. Over and over, he plunged into the noble’s body, watching as the wanton hunger in his lover was slowly fed and taking his own measure. Their pleasures crested, and a gripping shiver passed through them. There was a long moment in which they looked into each other’s deadly eyes and Aizen’s vamp illusion broke apart. Then, they were suddenly back in the hidden hollow base, naked and wrapped around each other, entering a final fury of hard, fast thrusts that made the pleasure explode through their undulating forms and left them collapsed in a tangle on the bed. They crashed down into slumber, sleeping for hours before Byakuya woke and turned towards the man holding him.

_He left me unbound._

_I could probably bind him well enough to make sure he is captured. Why would Sousuke, who doesn’t trust anyone be so reckless?_

Byakuya’s eyes suddenly came to rest on the hougyoku’s orb and he heard the hougyoku’s voice in is mind.

_Because he loves you._

_I understand now why it is that you could not open your heart to me. You are in love with him too. You know this. It’s why you asked me the question that you did. The die is cast and we are walking the path you wanted. Make your decisions carefully. There are still things that could undo all of us._

“Hougyoku,” Byakuya whispered, reaching out and touching the orb with gentle fingertips.

An odd chill went through him at the silence he received in reply.

He noticed then, that Aizen’s eyes had opened and were watching him closely.

“Are you all right, Byakuya?” he asked, “You look unsettled. What did the hougyoku say to you?”

Byakuya froze for a moment, his heart skipping at the feeling of danger in that moment.

“The houyoku told me that we are in love with each other,” Byakuya answered quietly.

Aizen nodded.

“And so we are,” he answered, pulling Byakuya close and renewing his conquest.


	13. Hand of Fate

Byakuya rested quietly in Aizen Sousuke’s embrace, watching as he slept and pondering the long, ecstatic night they had spent together.

_I suppose that when one finally achieves a long held desire, it is natural to want to bury himself in it. I almost wish that this time in his arms never had to end, not even for us to walk out of here and finish what we started. There are so many ways that this could go wrong, but at this moment, it feels, very, intoxicatingly right. We do not know how this will end, so we cling to these moments of intensity. Sometimes these are all we have._

_I am very aware that despite the love that Sousuke revealed to me, he could still choose to kill me if the exchange is worthy. It is just that the bar for that worthiness rose when we made love._

Byakuya’s dark eyes traveled slowly over Aizen calm, relaxed sleeping face, examining every little detail and noting the differences from the countenance of the gentle, mild mannered scientist he had been long ago.

_I was shocked at first in the way his appearance had changed, and my heart ached because I thought that meant the person we knew was a lie. Having more time to consider, I begin to realize that it isn’t that the person I knew back then never existed, it is that he was expressing what would have been, if not for the injustice that he suffered. And this makes me think that if there is a way to address what happened to him long ago, and to bring peace and comfort into his life, maybe the forces within him that caused him to make the choices he did will ease and the future the hogyoku hinted at can be achieved._

Byakuya’s mind drifted back to the last moments that he had shared with the hogyoku’s spirit.

_There was an odd look on his face when he told me that it would be possible to achieve a future in which Sousuke did not have to return to Muken. This suggests that such a future would not be so bright for him. While it is a given that me being with Sousuke means that the hogyoku’s wishes of being with me cannot come true, I wonder if there is more to his behavior. I…_

Byakuya’s graceful fingertips touched the orb gently, and he felt instantly the turmoil within. His fingers caressed the crystal housing, his heart radiating concern and regret, and somehow it seemed that his sympathy did reach the spirit within.

_It makes sense that he won’t talk to me now. The hogyoku is a young spirit, and one who has a desire that he knows is unachievable. This has to hurt very deeply, but it is pain that he must learn to face if he wishes to evolve. It just saddens me to know how he is suffering and not to be able to comfort him. Still, if there is a way to help him to live somehow, then perhaps…_

It struck Byakuya suddenly that Sousuke’s brown eyes were open and watching him. He felt a little blush come onto his skin and closed his own eyes for a moment, breathing slowly as Aizen’s warm palm curved around his face.

“You know,” Aizen reflected, “you are a much more complex person than I gave you credit for being, Byakuya. There are things that no one sees unless they look closely, and you don’t let people that close to you, usually. You look to be carved in ice, but your heart and everything else burns, hot and passionate beneath the surface. I love that about you.”

“You are not what I thought either,” Byakuya replied, “I made the error of thinking that the face you showed all of us, the one you used to deceive us, was a lie.”

“It was a lie, Byakuya,” Aizen said solemnly, “That person does not exist. I think you know that.”

“But, he does,” Byakuya countered, “You see, that person is the person who you would have been to all of us, had Central 46 not taken your family and tried to end your life. Your illusion punished all of us with the image of what we lost when your family was wronged.”

“That may explain my behavior towards Central 46, but I am sure you remember that my retribution did not end with Central 46, alone. You, yourself, have agonized in front of me about how I also included innocents in my vengeance.”

“You did,” Byakuya agreed, “And it is not that I am excusing your behavior. What you did was horrible and it was wrong, but you have admitted your part. You take responsibility for your actions. The ones who did wrong to your family also need to admit to what they’ve done, and to take responsibility.”

“Well, it’s a little bit difficult for them to do so, since I did kill them,” Aizen said, smirking.

“You killed individuals,” Byakuya corrected him, “Some of them had done wrong to your family and some had not, but the entity that is Central 46 still needs to acknowledge that your offense did not happen in a vacuum. You acted out, yes, and you went to Muken to pay for your crimes. The individuals responsible for the deaths of your relatives have paid with their lives, but Central 46 must, if it is to retain any hint of a purveyor of justice, to show acknowledgement of the overstepping of its bounds that occurred and to assure everyone that safeguards are being taken to ensure that such a thing does not happen again. For, why would anyone trust an entity that tramples on the basic rights it is supposed to protect. To set the example for our people, Central 46 must provide proper justice.”

“I happen to agree,” Aizen said approvingly, “But I don’t think that they will be calling me up to apologize for their forebears murdering my family anytime soon. Do you?”

Byakuya gave him the hint of a smile.

“I suppose that, perhaps, if I survive to return from this journey, I can certainly argue on your behalf.”

“Oh, you’re just saying that because it would be rather tragic to have the one who stole your innocence then die. Then again, you did accept Central 46 sentencing your own sister to death.”

Byakuya arched a fine eyebrow.

“You might remember that _you_ were the one who gave that order.”

“I did,” Aizen agreed, “I have to confess that I had a profound curiosity about what you would do. Were it any other noble leader, I think they would have circumvented the order by pulling strings and calling in favors.”

“And what would it say about me?” Byakuya asked quietly, “Let us say, for the sake of argument that Rukia _had_ committed a crime and it was Central 46 who sentenced her to death. I have to be willing to give up even my own life, if the cause is just. However, as Ichigo expressed to me, my failure to question the law, itself, needs to be considered, as the law is not perfect.”

“But you are,” Aizen said, moving in for a kiss.

“I am not perfect,” Byakuya said, pulling away, “I am not anywhere near it.”

“We do flounder around, looking for that ideal, don’t we?” Aizen mused, shaking his head, “Even those of us so cynical that we seek it in the most destructive ways. Peace, justice, connection, they are not evil things. It is how we seek them that causes the destruction. I never thought of my plans as destructive. I told myself that the world we lived in had to be destroyed to make way for a better one. And what price were a finite number of lives in comparison to the endless number who would be better of without noble clans…without Central 46.”

“The question comes down to who has the right to make those changes,” Byakuya reflected, “The king would say that he has provided our worlds and it is for the noble government to do so. The noble leaders know what is just, but some choose to do what is best for them, selfishly corrupting the king’s vision.”

“The commoners are pawns,” Aizen said, closing his eyes for a moment, “Even those who grow great power or are highly intelligent or otherwise gifted face horrid amounts of bigotry from their noble counterparts. So, if we do not stand up for ourselves, who will?”

“I am not saying that it is wrong for you to stand up against the injustice,” Byakuya explained, “but if you are going to represent a group of people, should you not have their consent? You chose a hundred thousand souls to ‘die for the cause,’ but you did not realize that millions would willingly have died to end the injustice like that which took your family. For some reason, you set yourself apart from those others you speak of.”

“Because I was the strongest among them,” Aizen replied, a troubled look entering his eyes, “because my strength caused mistrust, and that caused distance. I suppose I wasn’t like them, so I chose to use my power to rewrite things on my own terms. The king of these worlds decided the rules for all of us. Who is to say that it is wrong for someone stronger than he is, to rewrite them?”

A haunted look came into Byakuya’s eyes.

“There is logic in what you say. But it leaves the impression of us all struggling for dominance in a hostile world where even good and evil are relative terms. By your measure, I am evil…for not protecting my family when Rukia was threatened. The noble clans once considered Ichigo an embodiment of evil, merely for wanting to save someone who actually deserved saving. I do not know how to resolve this in my heart.”

“We play with reason and emotion. It is all we know how to do,” Aizen concluded, “I created the hogyoku to harness the power of our minds to dream and our bodies to conquer. I never thought it would develop a mind and an agenda of its own.”

“He has also developed a conscience,” Byakuya pointed out somberly, “He has realized that sometimes the achievement of one desire is the death of another. He is in pain, Sousuke. He will not speak to me. You should go and talk to him. I think he needs you.”

“The hogyoku needs me?” Aizen mused, “That is such a strange thing to hear. But it is true that it has begun to act in ways that indicate a soul in transformation. As one of its creators, I do owe it to him to try to clear up his confusion.”

Byakuya placed a warm palm on Aizen’s face and gazed meaningfully into his eyes.

“Do not hurt him, Sousuke,” the noble warned him, “He is in enough pain already.”

Aizen gave Byakuya a bracing smile.

“It seems you have always understood him better than I do,” commented, “I am used to thinking of him as a construct, but you are correct in thinking that he seems to truly have become more. I believe you deserve most of the credit for that. After all, it was you who listened to him and helped him to reflect in ways that assisted his learning. I was thinking of the hogyoku as a finite being, a fixed entity. But considering that it was crafted from pieces of lost souls and fed with more of them, it does contain a large amount of deep, compelling emotion that is the source of its power. The souls used to make the hogyoku were all broken by life. They had not achieved their desires. Their pain left them hungry for completion. Binding all of those suffering souls eased their pain because they knew they were not alone in having failed. And together, they were powerful enough to bring about the deepest desires of those still living.”

He paused, frowning thoughtfully.

Urahara and I should have realized that the very fact of being able to alter fate could also cause the bound pieces of souls that were acting together within the orb to become one and to even take on one consciousness. When that happened, it seems, the hogyoku achieved self-realization and independent initiative. It could be this is why the soul is so distressed.”

“He has the power to change your destiny or mine,” Byakuya said sadly, “anyone’s but his own. So, although the lost souls still long for the gifts of life, they are forever trapped within the crystal and unable to change their own fate.”

“Well,” Aizen said, pulling away and climbing out of the bed, “when we reach the ancient palace, we can study the relic blade that was the hogyoku’s focus and we will see if instead of using it to end one of our lives and empty our body, we can apply the blade’s power to the hogyoku’s and achieve something useful.”

“You do realize that what you are seeking is a hollow weapon, don’t you?” Byakuya reminded him, “We have no idea what it is capable of, or what dangers it might pose.”

“But we are nearly there,” Aizen said solemnly, “and I feel strongly that our answer, if we are going to find one, is there.”

“And then what?” asked the noble, “Say, for a moment, that everything goes as we hope, and we find this relic, we harness its power and we discover a way to use that power to gife the hogyoku life. What then?”

Aizen turned back, offering a hand to Byakuya and helping him to his feet.

“I don’t know,” Aizen answered quietly, “but we are too far along our journey to turn back now.”

Byakuya started to reply, but felt a strange twinge in his abdomen as his head swam and his vision fogged.

“Are you all right?” asked Aizen, slipping an arm around him.

He made a sound of surprise and concern as Byakuya’s legs gave way and the noble suddenly collapsed into his arms.

XXXXXXXXXX

Renji gave Tetsuya a look of concern as the noble leaned forward for a moment and put a hand to his forehead. He laced his fingers together with his husband’s other hand and quickly brought Arashi to a stop. He noticed then that Arashi, too, seemed to be flagging.

“Hey, what’s going on?” the redhead asked, “You look pretty pale. Are you okay?”

“No,” Tetsuya admitted, I feel sort of weak and dizzy. I think Arashi is just being affected by my condition, whatever is tasking me.”

“Want me to have Kisuke take a look at you?” Renji offered.

“What’s going on?” Rukia asked as she guided Ikazuchi to join them, “Why did you stop?”

“Tetsuya’s not well,” Renji explained.

“I’ll be all right,” Tetsuya said hastily, “We need to be looking for my cousin.”

“No one’s going anywhere until we’re sure you’re okay,” Rukia insisted.

“You need to listen to her,” Renji agreed, “You were held in Muken in Aizen’s bindings for a while, and the assholes there were beating you.”

“I was healed fully before we came on this journey,” Tetsuya argued petulantly, “I’m fine.”

“It’ll just take a minute for Orihime to give you a reiatsu boost and for Kisuke to look you over again,” Renji said firmly.

“Who’m I looking over?” Kisuke asked, appearing suddenly.

Ichigo swooped down from the sky and landed beside him.

“What’s going on?”

“Tetsuya was dizzy,” Renji explained, “He seems shaky. I thought you should look him over and make sure he’s all right.”

“Renji…!”

“Sure,” Kisuke said, chuckling as Renji nudged his flustered spouse off of Arashi’s back.

Tetsuya gave the two an uncharacteristic scowl, but he sat down on a large rock and cooperated quietly as Orihime began to restore his reiatsu and Kisuke examined him briefly.

“Huh…” the shopkeeper mused, frowning.

“What is it? Did you find something wrong?” Renji asked worriedly.

“Not wrong exactly,” Kisuke answered, “just…different. There seems to be some kinda little reiatsu echo in Tetsuya’s body.”

“A reiatsu echo? What’s that?” the redhead demanded worriedly, “Is it bad?”

“Not necessarily,” Kisuke assured him, “but I’ll take a closer look.”

He began a deeper scan, studying Tetsuya’s spirit centers carefully.

“The echo is near the spirit core,” he said, his frown deepening.

“Near my spirit core,” Tetsuya repeated, a look of realization coming over his face, “Oh…I think that I know what this is.”

Tetsuya blushed as all eyes focused on him.

“When I was a prisoner in Itamigiri, it was discovered the sexual abuse I suffered had triggered an unexpected effect…an old ability that once played a role in our family history. It was after the first war with the quincies. There were many women and children, as well as soldiers, lost in the fighting, and the noble families were concerned they were in danger of dying out. It was amidst this grave concern that a brilliant scientist discovered a way to trigger the creation of a spirit chamber within a male shinigami’s body that could take in another male’s reiatsu and semen and create a spirit cluster. Once matured, the spirit cluster would emerge and form the body of a baby.”

Tetsuya noted the look of comprehension in Kisuke’s eyes.

“I see that you know the history.”

“Yeah,” the shopkeeper confessed, “I came across it while in the archives, years ago, but I knew it was private. I didn’t know you were one of them.”

“Whoa! Hey, he’s one of what?” asked Renji.

“I am what is known as a Breeder male,” Tetsuya answered, “I only never told you because I had a failed pregnancy due to injury, and our healers were sure that I could not become pregnant again.”

“Looks like they were wrong,” Kisuke snickered.

“What?” Renji said again, blinking in confusion, “Y-you mean that…Tetsuya and I…? We…?”

“Congratulations,” Kisuke laughed, “You guys are having a baby.”


	14. Little Surprises

“You look a little discombobulated, Renji,” Kisuke chuckled, smirking at the redhead’s befuddled expression, “Wanna sit down for a second?”

“Are you angry with me for not saying something?” Tetsuya asked in a distressed tone, “I didn’t think it was necessary because I really didn’t think this could happen after the injury I suffered.”

“It’s okay. It’s not that,” Renji said, taking Tetsuya’s hand, “Hey, we’re married. Kids usually come with that package, and I know we didn’t talk about that. I think we both thought we couldn’t have them together. I’m not upset. I’m just surprised, and Tetsuya, I’m really glad.”

“You don’t look glad,” Rukia laughed, “You look like you’re about to throw up or pass out!”

“I do not!” Renji snapped, scowling, “I’m just adjusting, okay? I love Tetsuya, and I’m happy we can have kids. I just…was surprised at it happening without warning. That’s all.”

“Are you sure?” Tetsuya asked, looking at him doubtfully, “It’s okay if you don’t feel ready. I knew about my breeder ability, even though I thought myself too damaged and I feel pretty overwhelmed, even though I am happy. You have to be unsettled by this.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Renji answered matter-of-factly, “We’re gonna be parents. Neither one of us had parents guiding us when we were kids. I want my kids to have what we didn’t. I’ll be the best dad I can be. I promise.”

Tetsuya gave him a sweet, helpless smile.

“I will do my best also,” he promised.

“Okay, lovebirds,” Ichigo huffed, frowning, “Time to get back to looking for Byakuya and Aizen.”

“As long as Tetsuya’s feeling better,” Kisuke said, glancing at the noble questioningly.

“I’m fine,” Tetsuya assured him, “I feel much better.”

“And as long as Renji is recovered enough to stay on his feet,” Rukia said under her breath.

“I heard that!” Renji snapped.

Renji helped Tetsuya to his feet and onto Arashi’s back, then climbed up behind his blue-eyed husband.

“Wrap your arms around him,” Kisuke directed the redhead, “and keep your hands on his belly. Every now and then, just let some of your reiatsu flow into the area to help keep things nice and stable. You don’t wanna overdo it. The goal is to keep his reiatsu and the baby’s in balance.”

“Let’s hope that baby’s got better balance than Renji does!” Ichigo snickered into Rukia’s ear.

“Knock it off, asshole!” Renji said heatedly.

“Easy there,” Kisuke cautioned him, “Your reiatsu flares with your temper. The idea is to keep things calm and stable.”

“Good luck with that,” Rukia whispered to Ichigo, who bit his lips to hide a smile while Renji shot the two a derisive look.

“We’d best get going,” Kisuke said, studying a swirl of sand that was rising up in the darkness ahead of them, “I’m a little concerned about the direction we’re taking.”

“Why is that?” Tetsuya asked, frowning.

“Well, it’s in the general direction of the fortress, but it’s a little off. Makes me wonder what else could be out here that Aizen would want. I have a couple of ideas, none of which are too pleasant.”

“Like?” Renji prompted him.

“Well, there are a couple of places where certain extremely unpleasant types of hollows that Aizen used to use for information extraction have their homes. They’re invasive types that can slip inside a soul and do all kinds of damage. It’s possible that he wants some information Byakuya has, but won’t give up.”

“But you don’t look like you think that’s the worst possibility,” Rukia said worriedly.

“It’s not,” Kisuke confirmed, “A worse possibility is that Aizen is looking for either a hidden base he hopes is still there or he’s looking for an ancient source or artifact. There’s an ancient fortress that I’ve heard is in the general direction we’re going. Don’t know if it’s really there or if the information was off, but I guess we’ll find out. We need to keep on our toes and be ready for anything. And Tetsuya, if there is fighting, I want you to stay back and just use distance attacks, all right?”

“I understand,” Tetsuya affirmed.

“All right,” Kisuke said, nodding, “Let’s move it!”

XXXXXXXXXX

Consciousness began to return to Byakuya slowly, beginning with a soft buzzing in his ears and an awareness of the passage of breath. His heart throbbed and danced fitfully in his chest and he picked up the muffled sound of Aizen’s voice calling his name. Sensation very slowly returned to his body, allowing him to stir and groan discontentedly. When he could finally lift his heavy eyelids, he found himself in what appeared to be a small bunker of the type used by hollow military. He rested in Aizen’s arms, with the elder man’s dark eyes watching him closely.

“Sousuke?” he inquired, trying his voice, which shook only slightly.

“Are you all right?” Aizen asked, touching his face gently, “You’ve been unconscious for several hours.”

“I have?” Byakuya mused, starting to sit up, only to be held down as Aizen’s eyes met his warningly.

“Move slowly. I don’t know what caused it, but you suffered a sharp drop in your reiatsu, then several flares while you were unconscious. Your body seems more settled now, but I don’t like the fact that of not knowing why you lost consciousness.”

“It is probably the stress of everything catching up with me,” the noble sighed.

“You have been very anxious,” Aizen agreed, “Given your usually level-headed response to things, I am concerned.”

“I have been neglecting myself,” Byakuya posited, “and we are in a hostile environment. I have had to remain on constant alert since we arrived here.”

“Well, we will take some time to rest and eat here,” Aizen answered, “We are heading into the territory of some extremely dangerous hollows. There are reasons why the ancient palace remains undisturbed. Few could reach it alive. I am one of those few. I will keep you close to me. Do not stray.”

“I will not leave your side,” Byakuya promised, “But, what is in this quadrant exactly, besides the old palace?”

“Hollow vamps, spirit wolves,” Aizen replied, glancing at the bunker door, “and worse, there is an invasive hollow parasite we call a wraith hollow that can slip into a soul and take over, causing the soul to lose control. Usually, the wraith uses this to walk the victim to a remote location, where it stops and devours the victim slowly, from the inside out.”

Byakuya closed his eyes for a moment and took a steadying breath.

“How did you ever live here?” he mused, shaking his head, “This place is terrifying.”

Aizen smiled.

“I just made sure that I was more frightening than anything that approached me,” he answered, placing a kiss on the noble’s frowning mouth, “You are safe with me, Byakuya.”

Byakuya gave him a discomfited look.

“I do not think anyone is quite safe with you,” he sighed, “But I will wager you are safer to me than the denizens of this area, which would definitely kill me. You, at least, are considering sparing my life.”

“I suppose that is a fair assessment,” Aizen chuckled, giving him an amused look, “I also want to devour you slowly over time, but I want you to enjoy the experience as much as I do.”

“More like a hollow vamp?” Byakuya inquired archly.

“A hollow vamp drains its victim, either completely to devour it, or partially if it decides to keep the victim alive. Some dominant vamps will keep several victims alive and use them for sex and reproduction. Not pregnancy as we know it, but more like implantation. The growth of the hollow vamp offspring is brutal and ends with the vamp child devouring the victim bearer.”

Aizen noticed suddenly the pallor that had come to Byakuya’s face at the description. He embraced the noble and wrapped a warm blanket around his shoulders.

“We are safe here,” he assured his unsettled partner, “I cleared the area of anything dangerous before entering the bunker.”

“And you are sure that it wasn’t something of this area that caused my loss of consciousness?” asked the noble.

“Oh, I assure you, I looked you over thoroughly as you rested, my love,” Aizen said, smirking devilishly, “This was not the work of a hollow, but something inside you that is putting pressure on your systems. It seems centered in your spirit core.”

Byakuya’s frown deepened.

“In my spirit core?” he repeated, closing his eyes and turning his senses inward for a moment, “I do not sense anything troubling there now.”

“Neither do I,” Aizen agreed, “but I will continue to check from time to time. We may be here a while because there is a large sandstorm making its way through the area. I thought that once you were comfortable, I could enter the hogyoku’s inner world and have that discussion I have been meaning to have with him.”

“Has he spoken to you at all while I have been unconscious?” Byakuya asked, his expression softening.

“He only assured me that he didn’t think that you were in danger of dying. He refused to say more. He seemed agitated about something.”

“He probably regrets that he cannot care for me, still being trapped in the orb,” the noble posited, “This whole situation is difficult for him. I think he wavers between desiring a normal life and desiring immortality. I was thinking that, given the fact that you have explored those options, yourself, and your own answers have changed recently, you might be able to offer him guidance.”

“You want me to give him advice?” Aizen asked, looking amused, “Me, Byakuya?”

Byakuya gave him an appraising look.

“You are immortal,” Byakuya reasoned, “You no longer have to die. But even though you could live forever, you have chosen a path that will end in your eventual death. You have come to the conclusion that something, or some things are more important than living forever. Don’t you think that, going through the struggle over the same questions, the hogyoku might benefit from your perspective? You said before that the hogyoku was planning to kill you and to steal your body so that he could ascend the throne and keep his immortality while also having a life outside the orb. Even never knowing real life, he senses and struggles with a fear of death.”

“I would think that you would provide a better perspective about that than I would,” Aizen mused, “You were aware of Kisuke’s research, but unlike me, you were never tempted by the idea of living forever.”

“We weren’t meant to live forever,” Byakuya said solemnly, “The cycle life, death and rebirth is sown into our being. To step off of that is unnatural. Didn’t you find the thought of being the only one to endure just as lonely and isolating as being a man of greater power than those around him?”

Aizen’s face registered mingled surprise and approval at the suggestion.

“I did,” he agreed, “Very well. If it pleases you, I will speak to him while we wait for the sandstorm to end.”

“Thank you, Sousuke,” Byakuya said gratefully, “If he still will not speak to me, I want him to have someone to talk to.”

“You show a great deal empathy towards him,” Aizen noted curiously, “Do you still have feelings for him?”

“I just want him to find resolution,” Byakuya said firmly, “Because, you and I know that if he does not, one of us will have to destroy him. Think of the weight on his heart, sensing the importance of every step he takes, but feeling lost and uncertain in his path. He needs you.”

“I am the reason that the hogyoku was as corrupt and dangerous as he was,” Aizen reminded him, “I didn’t just create a hogyoku from Kisuke’s design. I corrupted it and turned it to a dark use. You want so much to believe you can bring it back, that you can undo the damage that my influence did, but you need to understand that it may not be possible.”

Byakuya shook his head and frowned stubbornly.

“He can be rehabilitated.”

“You really believe that?” asked Aizen in a doubtful tone, “How many times has he manipulated, threatened and hurt you, Byakuya?”

“How many have you?” Byakuya countered, “We all make mistakes, Sousuke, and he has realized that those mistakes have permanence in life. It is a small step from there to learning that we can also implement positive change. We can grow. Those things are not possible inside that orb.”

“And what makes you so sure that he will be able to transition and become a living being? What if we have come all of this way and we find that the weapon we are searching for is not here or that it will not grant him life? What then?”

“I am more concerned with which way the knife will be turned if he _can_ become a living being,” Byakuya argued, “Because, I feel inside that it is possible. It’s what my instincts tell me. And he does have the power to know if his desire is possible, does he not?”

“Yes,” Aizen agreed tentatively, “There is that. As I said, I will speak to him. I don’t know what effect it will have, but it is worth the attempt. Are you feeling well enough now for me to turn my attention from you? You don’t feel weak or dizzy anymore?”

“No,” Byakuya assured him, “I feel much improved after the infusion you gave me. I will use the time to enter my family’s archive to research the devices of the ancient hollow kingdom. Maybe I can find some clues about what we will be seeking.”

“I think that would be a very good idea,” Aizen said approvingly.

He paused and smirked at the noble.

“You…do plan to return to us, don’t you?” he inquired slyly, “It would be disappointing if you chose this moment to abandon us.”

“I have no intention of abandoning either one of you,” Byakuya said matter-of-factly, “If helping the two of you can end in a way that gets you the justice you deserve and turns you away from the path you were on before that led you to Muken…if it will bring peace to the tortured soul in the hogyoku and make our worlds safe again, I will follow it through to the end. I give you my word.”

Aizen sighed softly, taking Byakuya’s hands and kissing the soft fingertips.

“And you may be the only man whose word means anything to me,” he said sincerely, “Be safe. Come back to us soon.”

Byakuya nodded briefly, then rose from the bed and traced a small doorway in reiatsu on the wall. He breathed a soft enchantment, opening the way into the Kuchiki archive, then turned back to meet Aizen’s dark eyes.

“I will,” he promised, “Take care of him, Sousuke. He may not yet be living in a mortal body, but he is emotionally vulnerable, and the sway of his emotions has nearly proven deadly already.”

“I will keep that in mind,” Aizen said, watching quietly as Byakuya disappeared through the conjured doorway. He turned back as the doorway closed, settling down on the bed and touching his fingertips to the orb in his chest. He closed his eyes, focusing on the soul inside the orb and feeling himself fall into the cool center of the crystal housing. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself facing the handsome, constructed form that Byakuya had fashioned. He studied the slender, muscular body, then focused on the troubled eyes that watched him.

“Why did you come here?” the hogyoku asked, “Did _he_ send you?”

Aizen nodded.

“Byakuya is worried about you. It seems that he was right in being so. You look like something weighs upon you.”

“Do I? And why would you concern yourself with what weighs on me? I know you want to destroy me. That is why you went along with me.”

“Yes,” Aizen agreed, sitting down on the grass under the tree the hogyoku stood next to.

The hogyoku hesitated, then moved to join him.

“Do you still want to destroy me?”

“Do you think I could?” Aizen asked.

“If it wasn’t possible, why would I fear it?”

Aizen nodded.

“So, it is possible to destroy you. Still, there are other options. I think you know that. Byakuya knows this as well. He would have come to you. Why won’t you speak to him?”

The troubled look in the hogyoku’s eyes deepened.

“There are times when just speaking something out loud will interfere with a person’s fate,” he answered cryptically, “Byakuya asked me if there was a path that would keep you from having to return to Muken. I am trying to walk that path out of respect for him.”

“I see,” Aizen said, looking more closely at the other man’s comely form, “So, although this future you are granting him benefits Byakuya and me, it is not good for you.”

“No. But, why would you worry? You wanted me destroyed.”

“This path will destroy you?” Aizen asked, frowning, “And still, you are choosing it?”

The hogyoku’s head bowed and his eyes closed tightly.

“I may be destroyed or I may become a living being. There are factors in play that cannot be determined ahead of time. You should also know that Byakuya could be killed. There is significant danger to him…and there is something else that you should know.”

“What is that?”

The hogyoku’s eyes opened and fastened on his.

“Byakuya is carrying your child. He is unaware that he is a Breeder male. He had never been with another male, so there was no way for him to know. There are two paths before you, one that will end with their deaths and one that will end with them surviving. Be careful in your choices. You hold their lives and ours in your hands.”


	15. New Pathways

Byakuya stepped down into the cool, comfortable confines of his family’s famed archive, pausing to breathe in the familiar scent of the trove of books and feeling some of the weight of his captivity falling away.

_I was sure that I would never see this place again, so sure that Sousuke was going to kill me. And that was a distinct possibility. I could still die in this endeavor, but at least now, there are things I can do to protect all of us. I must act quickly._

He touched a small button on the desk where he usually sat to conduct his studies, then he sat down and immediately began to make a list of the materials he expected would be useful in his plans.

_The old palace is of the hollow world, so there are not going to be so many sources here that will hold pertinent information. But, I will bring what we have._

Within a few moments, the door that led from the archive into the manor slammed open, and Byakuya’s personal attendant burst into the room, wearing a surprised and relieved expression.

“Byakuya-sama, we’ve been so worried about you!” he exclaimed, “I didn’t know whether to believe it when I sensed you were here.”

“It is all right, Torio,” Byakuya assured the nearly frantic attendant, “Although I was abducted initially, I am in control of my situation now. But, I will need your assistance. I will be gathering information critical to my mission, and I want copies of the materials sent immediately to Urahara Kisuke. Just take what I give you to Urahara’s shop, and give them to Tessai. He will be able to pass the information swiftly to Kisuke. I also want you to personally take the communication I will give you to Kyoraku Sotaicho. Deliver it to him personally, and do not share the information with anyone else. Do you understand? There are lives depending on the captain commander receiving this information as soon as possible.”

“Of course,” Torio agreed readily.

“Come now, help me gather these resources,” Byakuya directed him, handing him a list of references.

Torio accepted the list and moved away to begin his search, while Byakuya studied several of the Kuchiki clan leader files.

_I do not believe any of the past leaders visited the palace personally, but one or more of them may have heard something about it, for some reason or other._

An hour passed with him only finding a few small references to the ancient seat of hollow power. He paused in his efforts as Torio returned, carrying the requested sources. The attendant laid the books on the table beside him.

“Thank you, Torio,” Byakuya said, not looking up, “Will you please take the message to the captain commander?”

“I will take the message,” Torio said in a concerned voice, “But please let me make you something to eat, first. You are quite pale and I can feel that your reiatsu is low.”

Byakuya let out a soft breath and gave his attendant a look of gratitude.

“Again, I thank you, Torio,” he said, nodding, “I have not been able to give proper attention to my needs. The situation is serious, but you are right. I do need to restore myself.”

Torio bowed and disappeared into a small recess within the archive, emerging a short time later with a tray of hot food and tea that he left at Byakuya’s elbow before turning to leave.

“Torio, be sure that only the captain commander knows that I have returned. I am launching an investigation that requires utmost secrecy.”

“Yes, sir!”

Byakuya turned back to the materials his attendant had gathered, attacking the sea of pages, while he slowly consumed the delicious, reviving meal. He alternated between reading, making notes and taking bites of his food until some time later, when the archive door opened to admit Torio and the leader of the Gotei 13.

“Byakuya!” Shunsui greeted him, smiling and taking his hand as the noble stood, “It’s good to see you in one piece. When we learned that Aizen had imprisoned your cousin in his place and had escaped, we feared the worst. But, you are here. Where is Aizen?”

“He is in Hueco Mundo,” Byakuya revealed, “He has gone into the desert to separate himself from the hogyoku.”

The captain commander gave him a surprised look.

“To separate himself from the hogyoku?” he repeated disbelievingly, “Now, why would he do that?”

“We have learned that the hogyoku is a sentient being,” Byakuya explained, “While Urahara Kisuke and Sousuke did create their versions of the hogyoku, the surviving hogyoku has it’s own reiatsu, and is growing in its understanding of itself and the three worlds. As we have traveled through the desert, I have had the chance to prevail upon the spirit within the orb to stop its more dangerous plans. The hogyoku wants to seek an item that will allow it to enter the cycle of birth and rebirth. It wants to live as we do.”

“And you’ve just agreed to do this, despite Aizen grabbing you and using the hogyoku’s power to hold you hostage?” Shunsui mused.

“Sotaicho, there is more to this than you know. It is true that Sousuke is guilty of some terrible crimes, and that he has used the hogyoku’s power to enable himself to follow through on his plans. But, it is also true that their choices are taking them in different directions, and we would be wise to let them separate.”

“And then what?” Shunsui asked skeptically, “Are we expected to just let Aizen go, after all he’s done? Are you sure that he hasn’t been working his illusions on you? Because, I can’t imagine you going along with him.”

“I wasn’t, at first,” Byakuya explained, “But there is something bigger going on, and it involves something that was going on secretly in Central 46, and may still be continuing.”

Byakuya handed the elder man a file and Shunsui looked down at it as he accepted it from Byakuya’s hand.

“What is this?” he asked warily.

“That is proof of the existence of a group of individuals, who are targeting talented peasants in the Rukongai. This is a group of noble sons, who do not want power to be shared with non-noble families. The information I am giving you is just the tip of the iceberg.”

“Ah,” Shunsui mused, nodding, “You’re saying that Aizen was targeted by this group?”

“When he was a child, yes,” Byakuya confirmed, “While proving this does not change what he has done, it does lend understanding as to why he took the path he did. It explains why he targeted Central 46 for the brutal executions that took place during his betrayal. If this is still continuing, we…”

“We have an obligation to stop it,” Shunsui agreed, “But, Byakuya, this doesn’t give me reason or the ability to overturn Aizen’s sentence. And Central 46 isn’t likely to either, even if he gives up the hogyoku.”

“I will worry about that later,” Byakuya said sternly, “Right now, I am most concerned with keeping myself alive, and assisting Sousuke in removing the hogyoku from his body. I think you will agree that this is best, no matter what aspect one takes.”

“Yes,” the captain commander agreed, “and I will cover for you on this. I am going to issue a notice, acknowledging that you are following up on Aizen’s escape and his movements. I will not let on that you are still with him. I’ll let everyone draw their own conclusions. This will give you a little time. Do you need any backup?”

“I may,” Byakuya affirmed, “We are headed for the ancient palace, deep within hollow territory.”

“That’s rough country,” Shunsui acknowledged, “I don’t think it’s safe to put troops out there.”

“No. I would not suggest that,” Byakuya agreed, “But, you can certainly move troops into a position to enter the area if it becomes necessary. Urahara Kisuke is currently pursuing Aizen, and he can give the ones you send protection. They can wait in relative safety and only risk themselves if it becomes necessary.”

“Okay,” Shunsui said, nodding, “you have backup on the way. I’ll go back and get them ready to go right now.”

“Thank you,” the noble said gratefully.

“What are friends for?” Shunsui said, smiling, “Glad to see you’re all right, although, you look a little worse for wear.”

“Torio is taking care of me,” Byakuya assured his superior, “I will be fine.”

“You be careful out there,” the elder man said affectionately, “Now that we have you back, we don’t want to lose you again.”

“You will not,” Byakuya promised, “I am going to see that wrongs are righted, and then I will come back.”

“You do that,” Shunsui agreed, “Godspeed Byakuya.”

XXXXXXXXXX

“Byakuya is with child?” Aizen mused, his dark eyes lighting with intense curiosity, “And you say that he is not aware this is even possible?”

“Byakuya is aware of the breeder ability that his cousin inherited, but he does not know that he is also a descendant of the breeder males.”

“Fascinating.”

“It was certainly not something you desired,” the hogyoku asserted, “Not ever.”

“But you sense my response now.”

“Yes,” the spirit answered, lowering his eyes, “You begin to desire this family that you are making. You are surprised at how much you already feel connected to this part of both of you that grows within Byakuya. You are protective of him.”

“And you see this, and it makes you long for connection of that sort,” Aizen concluded, pausing for a moment to consider his next words carefully, “You never had a family. Your only understanding of family comes from what you experienced through contact with my past. You also experienced the loss of that connection.”

“I did,” the hogyoku agreed, “and I used to think that it was good that I was not a living being, but an immortal.”

“Yet, your interaction with Byakuya confused you, because you feel close to him, but you know that death will claim him, and you feel the loneliness of a world without him.”

A long, sad breath escaped the spirit and he nodded.

“I feel empty, thinking of that,” he confessed, “It makes me…regretful.”

“What is it that you regret?” Aizen inquired, “Is it just losing Byakuya? Or is it that what you regret is that your existence is not more like that of those around you, whose desires you sense?”

“I suppose that is it,” the spirit concluded, “Had I been like him, things would have been different. I would have grown up as he did, and we would have met some other way. I would not have frightened him and left him in fear for his life. Even though he has forgiven me for that, and he tries to understand me, I can’t take back the things that I did that distanced us. Nor can I take away his concern that I could hurt him again.”

“I understand such regrets,” Aizen said quietly, “Remember that I was also different from the others around me. I had exceptional power, and that is what caused my life to self-destruct around me.”

To his surprise, the spirit smiled.

“Byakuya would tell you that it was not your powers, but the ones around you who caused the destruction. I have noticed that, oddly, though they strive to achieve as individuals, living beings thrive on sameness. People who stand out tend to be mistrusted.”

“Don’t you think I deserve to not be trusted?” Aizen asked.

“Maybe now,” the spirit answered, frowning, “But, when you were a child, you were just like other children, except for your unusually strong powers. You never showed cruelty to anyone, not even your peers who sometimes mistreated you. Your cruelty only emerged when your family was destroyed.”

The spirit paused, thinking for several moments before continuing.

“Will you tell me something?” he asked, earning a look of approval and a short nod from his master, “I understand your decision to make the ones who took your family pay with their lives. But you didn’t stop at that. You also killed sages and judges who were good people. And you didn’t stop with Central 46. You infiltrated the Gotei 13 and plotted to kill the king, who had not harmed you. Why?”

Aizen considered the question carefully before offering an answer.

“There is not just one answer to that question,” he said finally, “It was important to kill the perpetrators. But killing them didn’t seem like enough. Because as much as their hands moved with the intention of killing my family and me, there were others whose lack of action let it proceed. There were nobles on the council, but they also dominate the military. And the noble houses and military all serve the king. It seemed that the entire system was flawed, and the more I tried to direct myself at the specific cause of what happened, the more I realized that there were many factors in what happened, and also that it seemed no matter how many lives I took, nothing could bring me peace. I could not change the past and I could not look at the future. Nothing I did lessened the intensity of emotion I felt. And finally, I wanted to just erase everything and start over.”

“But, like me, you found out that sometimes you can’t start over. You do something that you can’t take back.”

Aizen studied him quietly for a moment.

“I haven’t nearly the level of regret that you do over that, but living has made me wiser.”

“Tell me honestly. Do you think that it’s really even possible for me to escape this orb?”

“It’s strange to hear you question that,” Aizen noted, “You can look into the future. You can give life to those desires that are possible.”

“Yes, but I have noticed that my vision is less certain lately, and even what I see, I don’t know if it’s trustworthy.”

“The future is an interesting mix of action and emotion,” Aizen explained, “You operate on what is possible for a person, but what is possible can, and does, change. Some pathways close and others open. Possibility is not a constant. It is an ever shifting realm we traverse. This is confusing for anyone.”

The spirit turned away, casting his eye to look at the edges of his confined world.

“I just want to be free,” he said softly, “I only want to feel real. There are possibilities here, but no reality. Reality happens out there.”

“I think reality is already happening in here,” Aizen said, touching the area over the spirit form’s heart.

“I have no real form,” the spirit said sadly, “I have no heart.”

“I think you know that the heart is not just a physical construct,” Aizen corrected him, “And your contact with Byakuya has made your heart grow.”

He started to say more, then stopped as he sensed that the noble had returned.

“I will leave you to your thoughts for a time,” he said, focusing on Byakuya’s presence.

“Wait,” the spirit said, stopping him, “I want to speak to him. Do you think he will come here?”

“Of course. I told you he is worried about you. He would have come if he thought you wanted to speak to him. He knows you are confused and he wants to help you out of your confusion.”

Aizen returned his focus to Byakuya and in a moment, the noble appeared within the hogyoku’s inner world. He approached the two and waited, his grey eyes fastened on the hogyoku’s.

“Are you all right?” he asked quietly, “You wouldn’t speak to me before. Has Sousuke been able to help you?”

“Some,” the spirit affirmed, moving closer to Byakuya, “I am sorry if this confused you. I was only trying to understand why my vision seemed to be changing and I wasn’t able to see as clearly. My master has helped me to understand that it seems emotion is fogging my vision, causing me confusion about what to do.”

“Emotions are new to me,” the spirit mused, “I have felt so many things since all of this began.”

“I am sorry,” Byakuya apologized, “I never meant for you to be hurt.”

“I know. You didn’t do anything wrong. I was wrong to let my emotions make me reckless. I hurt you, and even though you can forgive me, you know I am still dangerous. I am becoming more real, but I am dangerous because I am only now learning that my actions have permanence. I am only now learning to control my emotions to avoid damaging everything around me. My emotions are growing stronger and as they do, I feel something I don’t know how to relieve.”

“And what is that?” Byakuya asked, looking steadily into the spirit form’s eyes.

“I am afraid.”


	16. The Bite

“You’ve been quiet since we left his inner world,” Aizen commented, turning his head slightly as they proceeded through the dark sands, “You look troubled. What is on your mind, Byakuya? Is it him? Or is it something that happened while you were in your archive?”

“Both,” Byakuya sighed, keeping his grey eyes focused on the sandy ground a short distance in front of him, “He is unsettled, Sousuke.”

“That is perfectly understandable, given his circumstances.”

“You heard him. He is afraid.”

“Yes, and he must learn to manage his fears so that he is not petrified by them, as I explained to him before we left. We have done all we can to ease his mind for now. It’s necessary for us to turn our attention to other things.”

Byakuya’s eyes widened slightly as he suddenly remembered.

“The research I gathered,” he said, nodding.

“You were able to find information about the ancient blade?” Aizen asked.

“I did not have sufficient time to search each reference in detail, but I brought with me a number of books and files that should prove helpful in our search.”

“We should stop for a few hours to rest anyway,” Aizen said, turning them towards a small cave set back in the darkened sand dunes.

Byakuya followed him in through the entrance, then turned back to set a barrier in place. He extended a slender hand, willing his reiatsu to emerge, then flinched and made a sound of surprise as his power flickered oddly, then faded. Aizen gave him a look of concern.

“Are you all right, Byakuya?” he asked, moving closer to the noble, “Your reiatsu is fluctuating.”

He paused, thinking back to the hogyoku’s words.

_Byakuya is pregnant._

_And he doesn’t know he can be._

_I wonder what his reaction will be._

“I am tired,” the noble admitted, looking quietly down at his opened hand, “and my powers were under a heavy seal until you released it. It is probably that.”

_Is this the right time to tell him?_

“Perhaps,” Aizen agreed, extending a hand and watching as his own barrier instantly manifested.

_With so much happening, it could shift his focus at a time when we can ill afford to do so. At the same time, he needs to be cautious. He will have more side effects like this as we proceed, and to approach battle without knowing would be foolish. No…it seems best to tell him now._

“Byakuya,” he said, taking the noble’s hand and encouraging him to sit down near the cave entrance, “there is something I think we should talk about…something that the hogyoku shared with me, that is going to impact our mission.”

Byakuya looked back at him curiously, exciting an unexpected flutter in his chest that caused him to hesitate.

“Is something wrong, Sousuke?” the noble asked, an edge of worry in his voice.

“No, not wrong exactly,” Aizen answered, “although it may have larger implications later, depending on the outcome of our mission.”

“How do you mean?” Byakuya inquired, frowning, “What is it? And what implications could whatever it is have?”

Aizen sighed, his brown eyes narrowing thoughtfully.

“It most affects your health and well-being,” he explained.

Byakuya’s eyes flashed with alarm for a moment, but quickly calmed.

“Is there…something wrong with me?” he asked, “I am tired and still somewhat weakened from this ordeal, but I do not feel ill. Are you saying you know what is making me feel this way?”

“The hogyoku knows, and he told me. I think when you hear, it will make sense of things, but I warn you, it will not be without consequences.”

“Must you always speak in riddles, Sousuke?” the noble said impatiently, “If you know what is affecting me, then just tell me.”

“Of course. My apologies for stringing you along a little while I gathered my wits about it,” Aizen said, smirking.

Byakuya gave him a confused look that he found unexpectedly endearing. He cupped a palm around the noble’s pale cheek, gazing intently into his questioning eyes.

“The hogyoku discovered that, although you had no knowledge of it, you are, in fact, a breeder male.”

Byakuya stiffened, staring back at the other man as if he couldn’t possibly have heard the words that had sounded.

“A…?”

“Your cousin, Tetsuya, is a breeder male, isn’t he?”

Byakuya started to answer, then stopped himself, his eyes still locked on Aizen’s.

“I understand that the breeder males were looked down on…”

“They are still looked down on,” Byakuya answered sternly, “Although the rules of the council have changed over time in their favor, it is still a matter of contention in the clan. To suddenly learn that I am a breeder male, if indeed I am, could have repercussions. Tetsuya has struggled with prejudice over this ever since his emancipation. The elders have learned to accept him, but accepting him and accepting a breeder male as a leader are two different things. This is bound to bring some chaos.”

He shook his head and sighed softly.

“I suppose that means that you and I are going to have to be cautious to avoid you impregnating me. I do not even want to think about having to tell them that, not only is their leader a breeder male, he is an unwed parent. I think they would die from the shock.”

Aizen bit his lip gently to hide a smile and gave Byakuya a meaningful look, that made the noble freeze for a moment.

“You are _not_ saying…”

“I am.”

“That cannot be right. There is no record of a breeder male in my lineage! I…know the entire history of my bloodline!”

“And you know that, since the breeder males were persecuted, some of them hid that information. I think you know it is quite possible. And in any case, the hogyoku has no incentive to lie about such a thing.”

Byakuya looked back at him with an uncharacteristic stymied expression.

“Sousuke, do you understand…this could have more than just consequences? If I am revealed to be a breeder male, and I am pregnant with your child, there is a large risk that Central 46 will accuse me of breaking you out of Muken! And if that happens, by law, they have the right to both terminate any pregnancy and execute me for high treason!”

XXXXXXXXXX

Renji sat, mounted on Arashi’s back, behind Tetsuya with his arms wrapped around his spouse’s slender waist and his hands burrowed under Tetsuya’s clothes, rubbing his bare belly. He hooked his head over Tetsuya’s shoulder, nuzzling his husband’s soft cheek.

“You okay?” he asked quietly, “You haven’t said much all day.”

“I am worried about Byakuya-sama,” Tetsuya admitted, “While it is encouraging that we seem to be catching up with them, I wonder what use I’ll be when we find them.”

“What’re you talkin’ about?” Renji chided him gently, “You’re okay, right? Some nausea, threw up a little, passed out, but you’re moving now.”

“But my reiatsu is going to be unstable from now until the end of the pregnancy. Such instability could mean that my abilities could fail at a critical moment and…”

“And then Arashi and I will protect you.”

“We need to be focused on rescuing Byakuya-sama!” Tetsuya snapped, his blue eyes flaring, “We are not dealing with the usual hollows, this is _Aizen Sousuke_! I am sure you remember what happened the last time he was free.”

“Oh yeah,” Renji chuckled anxiously, “I’ve still got some scarry reminders.”

“Byakuya-sama has been his prisoner for too long! He may be alive, but there is no telling what that monster is putting him through.”

“If he was in pain, don’t you think we would sense it?” Renji asked, making Tetsuya pause and consider.

“If Aizen’s abilities are unsealed and the hogyoku has been freed, he can use his illusions to blind us.”

Tetsuya furrowed his brow and his frown deepened.

“I do wonder why, if Aizen’s powers are unsealed, he isn’t doing more to hide their path. He is usually so crafty.”

“Kisuke is suspicious too,” Renji said in a more hushed tone, “Did you notice the change in the intensity of the protective barrier he is using? I think he knows that, at some point, if Aizen’s playing some kind of game, the game’s gonna stop and the shit will come down. That’s also why he wants me to stay close to you. I’d feel better if you went back…”

“I am not going anywhere!” Tetsuya said hotly, his face flushing.

“Take it easy,” Renji chuckled, giving his belly a little tickle, “You know, most pregnant women get more mild-mannered. You get more feisty.”

“I am worried about my cousin.”

“I know,” Renji said, turning his head slightly to meet Tetsuya for a warm, comforting kiss, “I’m worried about him too. We’re going to find him and he’ll be okay. You just focus on taking care of yourself and this baby. Let me do the worrying for both of us.”

Tetsuya gave the redhead a gentler smile and nodded. He placed his hands over Renji’s, enjoying the pleasant swirls of Renji’s reiatsu as it mingled with his. They continued on for several hours before Kisuke called a halt.

“What’s going on?” asked Renji.

Kisuke gave the others a look of dire warning.

“Ichigo reported back that he spotted some spirit wolves ahead. We’re getting into really dangerous territory now. We’re going to want to stick closely together. Arashi, Ikazuchi, bring’em in closer. I’m using a max barrier, but everyone needs to be on their guard. I would strongly suggest staying in physical contact with at least one other person. That way, if one of these creepy hollows tries to play with your mind, you’ve got something to ground you.”

Tetsuya shivered and leaned back into Renji’s arms, earning a reassuring smile and a kiss on the cheek.

“I’ve got you,” Renji promised, “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

“I know,” Tetsuya sighed, “but who is watching out for my cousin? I don’t know what frightens me more, the thought of him being out here or the thought of him being with that evil man.”

“Well,” Kisuke said bracingly, “just remember. Aizen needs Byakuya for something. That’s why he took him. We’ll…”

Kisuke paused as what looked like a bird made of fire streaked across the sky behind them and soared down to land in front of the shopkeeper.

“What the heck is that?” Ichigo asked, scowling as the bird streaked by him.

“It’s okay. Don’t kill it,” Kisuke assured them, “It’s a messenger.”

The bird disappeared with a loud poof, and a large satchel dropped down to the ground in front of Kisuke. The shopkeeper bent over the satchel, examining the contents and reading a written message.

“What’s all that?” Ichigo inquired, looking down and frowning, “Books?”

“Books and files relating to the ancient hollow royals and their palace,” Kisuke answered, opening one of the files, “We’re going to need to stop so I can look this stuff over.”

“But…” Tetsuya objected.

“Easy,” Kisuke soothed him, “This was sent by Byakuya.”

The others’ eyes rounded at the announcement.

“What the…?” Renji began.

“From what I gather, Byakuya was kidnapped by Aizen…”

“Of course he was kidnapped!” Tetsuya exclaimed, “I was there!”

“Yeah, although you weren’t aware at the time,” Kisuke continued, “Aizen told Byakuya that he wants to separate from the hogyoku. They think that there’s an artifact in the old hollow king’s palace, so they’re headed there and Byakuya wants us to follow. He claims that Aizen is not threatening him anymore, but the hogyoku is unstable in some way. We need to travel quickly and I have to study these references, so I think we’ll need another mode of transportation.”

The others exchanged curious glances as Kisuke put his fingers to his lips and gave an odd whistle.

“That sounds familiar,” Ichigo said, “Have I heard it be…”

The Shiba heir’s words ended in a howl of dismay as the sand under his feet exploded and he was thrown unceremoniously into the air.

“Yiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!” he yelled.

The horses reared, but their riders remained firm in the saddle, patting their mounts and soothing them as a huge wormlike creature burst out of the sand and flopped down in front of them.

“Bawa-Bawa?” Ichigo mused.

“Neliel told me if I needed him to just give him a whistle,” said Kisuke, climbing onto the great beast’s back.

The others scrambled up behind him as he began to slide forward.

“Hopefully, now we’ll be able to catch up to Byakuya so we can be there to help out with the separation of Aizen and the hogyoku.”

“I don’t get why he’s doing this,” Ichigo said in a mystified tone, “I mean, the guy’s immortal. Why give that away?”

“He did say that the hogyoku was somehow unstable,” Kisuke reminded him, “I don’t know if that means it was harming him in some way or that it was breaking down. In any case, it means he really doesn’t want to be caught. We’re gonna help, but we all have to be extremely careful. One wrong move and someone may pay with his life.”

XXXXXXXXXX

“I am not going to let you be executed,” Aizen said firmly, moving into position behind the noble and wrapping his arms around him.

Byakuya stiffened for a moment, bristling at the attempt to distract him, but slowly settled against the elder man to accept the reiatsu infusion. Aizen’s hands slid beneath his clothes to rub his belly gently.

“Does that help?” Aizen asked.

“Mmhmm,” Byakuya confirmed, yawning sleepily, “The nausea is going away, but I still feel rather weak.”

“Your body needs to adjust to the fact that you are with child.”

“And since your reiatsu is part of that which made the child,” Byakuya added, “you are able to balance our more chaotic energies.”

“Exactly. Relax and try to sleep.”

“Try to sleep?” Byakuya mused, “And how is that supposed to happen? You…do realize, do you not? This is making us aroused.”

“I noticed,” Aizen said, smirking, “Don’t worry. We can make love with you dozing. In fact, you are quite lovely when you are a little delirious.”

“Sousuke!” Byakuya objected, inhaling in surprise as he was brought down on his back and his mouth enthusiastically invaded.

Warm, insistent hands caressed his belly for several minutes before one slid downward to push his thighs apart.

“Sousuke!” Byakuya moaned, thrashing beneath his hands.

Sharp teeth raked along his throat and he felt the erotic sweep of a wet tongue tracing his collarbone. A hot mouth ran a line of scathing kisses down over his white breast, pausing to attack each hardened pink nipple before sliding down. Byakuya’s moans intensified as his lover commenced a breathtaking exploration of his vulnerable nether parts. In moments, he could spare no breath, but laid panting and gasping shamelessly as Aizen’s lusty invasion continued. The noble’s back arched and he gave a hard cry of surrender as the other man’s fingers began to prepare him. He barely kept his composure as Aizen shifted and positioned himself for entry. He reared upward, grinding hard against his lover as Aizen’s hips pushed forward, joining their bodies. The two engaged in a series of hard, fast thrusts that brought them swiftly to the edges of climax. Aizen waited until he felt Byakuya stiffen beneath him and begin to shudder in release.

“You are beautiful, my love,” he whispered into the stunned noble’s ear, “I hope that despite your fears…this baby will make you happy.”

He gave in, then, to the delightful quivers of his own release and the sweet, sated oblivion that followed. The two fell into a deep sleep, unaware of the barely visible shadow that detached from the wall and floated towards them. The shadow thickened and formed a humanoid body that moved on catlike feet to the sleeping lovers’ side. He gazed down at the two men, wary of the power in one, but strongly attracted to the other. Dropping to his knees, he emitted a soft cooing sound meant to keep the two from waking. He bent low and brought his face close to Byakuya’s, breathing in his sweet scent and almost whining with desire. His mouth opened and sharp white fangs bared themselves. Glowing red eyes glared hungrily at the noble’s white flesh as he closed in. Just as he began to snap his jaws shut, a flash of kido exploded from Aizen’s hands, crashing into the beast and throwing him to the back of the cave.

Byakuya’s eyes flew open and he gasped as Aizen’s arm wrapped around him protectively, forcing him back towards the cave entrance. Loose rock and sand rained down on them as they backed away from the enraged hollow.

“A hollow vamp,” Aizen panted softly, “Did he break the skin?”

“I don’t think so,” Byakuya managed breathlessly.

“Stay back.”

Byakuya watched, spellbound as the former taichou loosed a vicious kido spell that ripped through the hollow vamp’s body, burning it away into nothing. For a moment, neither man moved, then Aizen heard Byakuya make a sound of surprise and dismay. As his shaking hand came away from his throat, a dribble of blood escaped from a small, but fierce wound.


	17. Death Spiral

Byakuya stared wordlessly at the blood on his fingers as Aizen moved in quickly, taking hold of him and sending a flash of disruptive kido through the wound. The touch of the other man’s power seemed to stir the stunned noble and he lunged away from Aizen.

“Byakuya…”

“Don’t!” Byakuya gasped, “Don’t touch me! There is transformative reiatsu in the wound. You could be infected too!”

“I purged the reiatsu quickly,” Aizen began.

“That _doesn’t matter_ , and you know it!” Byakuya objected, quivering inside as a chill of something far more insidious than fear began to creep through his body, “Transformative reiatsu begins to work immediately, and even if you purge it quickly, you cannot expel all of it. Even a single transformative cell will eventually cause me to…”

Byakuya found his words forcibly stopped by the wrapping around of strong arms and a quelling kiss.

“Don’t do that!” the noble hissed, pushing at him desperately, “You could be affected.”

Aizen shook his head firmly, anchoring the distressed man in his arms and holding him tightly in place.

“It takes several hours for the reiatsu to spread through your body. We have some time to…”

“To do what, exactly?” Byakuya whispered in a devastated tone, “Sousuke, no one has _ever_ taken a direct bite or talon scratch from a hollow vamp and not transformed! This baby and I are…we…”

Byakuya went silent, loosing only soft sobbing breaths as he placed a hand on his belly.

“Sousuke…”

“No.”

Byakuya shivered as the coldness seemed to creep outward from his infected core.

“Sousuke, please listen to me. You…”

“NO!” Aizen roared, flash stepping forward and forcing him back against a large boulder.

He glared furiously down into Byakuya’s widened eyes, a chill going through him as he saw already the glimmer of golden leaking into the noble’s proud, grey eyes.

“You belong to _me_!” the traitor raged, “Your _fate_ is in _my_ hands!”

“But there has never been…”

Byakuya’s words ended in a shocked gasp as a quick kido spell dropped him into Aizen’s arms. The traitor glared down at his troubled face as he lifted the noble into unyielding arms.

“I am sorry,” he apologized in a low, unrepentant tone, “but I can’t let you convince me to destroy you. Understand this. You will be cured or you won’t, but either way, you are not leaving me!”

He laid the unconscious man on his back on the soft sand floor inside the cave and leaned over him, breathing the words of a powerful enchantment, then watching as Byakuya’s breaths slowed and then stopped.

“I have placed you in suspension,” he whispered, bending to kiss the noble’s soft, frowning lips, “This will stop the advance of the infection and give me time to engage Urahara Kisuke in finding a cure. Just sleep, Byakuya. I am not letting you die.”

He wrapped the spellbound noble in layers of reiatsu, forming a powerful protective barrier, then he left the cave and walked outside. Harsher sounds issued from his mouth, and raw power flared around him, lighting the area with the brightness of a small sun he conjured. He hung it in the sky and extended his senses, reaching out for the touch of Kisuke’s reiatsu.

_He is approaching from the south._

He turned his attention, then, to the orb in his chest, staring down into the hogyoku and focusing intently. Within moments, he sank down into the hogyoku’s inner world, where he found, to his surprise and dismay that the interior was in chaos. Raw reiatsu flared all around, howling and moaning in distress. The hogyoku’s spirit appeared in front of him, oddly encased in swirls of radiating emotion, his power blazing chaotically.

“Hogyoku!” Aizen called out, making the spirit gasp and blink as he struggled to bring his swelling power back under his control, “You must calm. In this state, you will not be able to see our possibilities. If there is a way to heal Byakuya, then you must guide me to it.”

“I-I can’t…” the spirit stammered, “I can’t see! I can’t breathe.”

Aizen’s eyes darkened for a moment with fury that threatened to fill him, but he carefully pushed it away and moved to the spirit’s side. He slipped an arm around the agitated soul.

“You were shocked by what has happened to Byakuya, I know,” he said in as calm a voice as he could muster, “I am also, but if we want him and the baby to survive, you have to tell me what I can do. It is still possible to save him, is it not?”

The spirit took several shaky breaths and nodded briefly.

“It is possible,” he answered in a quavering voice, “but one wrong move and there are a thousand ways this could go wrong!”

“What must I do?” Aizen asked, looking into the spirit’s widened eyes.

The spirit took a few steadying breaths and closed his eyes.

“Urahara Kisuke,” he answered in a shaky voice, “He will initially want to destroy Byakuya, because he knows it is what Byakuya would choose, but…if you can convince him…”

“I will.”

“How?”

“By doing whatever it takes. I am not a man who lets fate decide. I have defied it before, and I will do that now.”

The hogyoku spirit flinched and met Aizen’s eyes discomfitedly.

“I suppose now you will get your chance. The others are about to arrive.”

Aizen nodded and turned to go.

“Wait,” the spirit urged him, “One more thing. You must be very clear in your choices from this point forward. If you love Byakuya and you want your child and him to live, that must guide your every decision.”

He watched quietly as Aizen nodded and disappeared from his inner world.

“And it will also guide mine,” the spirit whispered sadly.

XXXXXXXXXX

The group aboard the huge worm hollow frowned and peered into the distance as the sky ahead of them began to glow oddly. Before their curious eyes, a small, fiery orb rose on the horizon, lighting the desert in front of them.

“What the hell?” Renji mused.

“Weird,” Ichigo mused, shaking his head.

Kisuke’s frown deepened.

“This has Aizen written all over it,” he said, carefully studying the growing radiance, “The good thing is that the spirit wolves and hollow wraiths and vamps hate the sunlight. They will hide and not bother us. But you’ve gotta wonder, because it seems like a pretty brazen move, drawing attention to himself like that.”

“What are you saying?” asked Tetsuya in a worried tone.

“What I’m saying is that even though it’s Aizen and he doesn’t usually bother being cautious, he knows that secrecy is important in entering and exploring the ancient palace. There are things inside and outside that won’t welcome people snooping there. I’m thinking something’s happened, and this light is not just to help us find him, but to get us there faster.”

Kisuke peeked over the side of the huge desert worm.

“Hey, Bawa-Bawa, buddy, can you go any faster?” he asked, “We need to get to the source of that light as fast as you can.”

The worm tensed and loosed a warning roar, then shot forward, making the shingamis clinging to his back howl in dismay and clench their fingers to hold on. The dunes they passed went by in a blur as they closed in on the bright light and all aboard the worm felt the imposing touch of Aizen’s powerful reiatsu. Bawa-Bawa slowed as they spotted a man standing in the distance, next to a rocky dune. He growled and headed for Aizen, his large eyes narrowing and glaring suspiciously.

“I know,” Kisuke said sympathetically, “I don’t trust him either. But we’ll all keep watch.”

The shopkeeper sighed softly.

“Hope that’s enough to stay outta trouble, but I wouldn’t bet the farm on it,” he commented.

As the worm slid to a stop, Tetsuya pulled free of Renji’s arms and bounded down, flash stepping to the former taicho and meeting his eyes warily.

“Where is my cousin?” the younger Kuchiki demanded, “Tell me where Byakuya is, you bastard!”

“He is safely protected in this cave,” Aizen answered calmly, capturing Tetsuya firmly by the arm as the young man attempted to push past him.

“What are you doing? Let go of me!” Tetsuya fumed, “After what you…”

“I understand your anger,” Aizen replied in a cool tone, “but before you enter that cave, you need to know his condition.”

“His condition?” Tetsuya repeated, looking up into Aizen’s stern gaze worriedly, “What have you done to him?”

“I am not responsible for his injury,” Aizen said firmly.

“Of course you are!” Renji answered hotly, springing down from the worm’s back and rounding on Aizen, “You’re the one who kidnapped him and tied Tetsuya up in fucking _Muken_! You knew the guards would beat him!”

“And I knew that someone had to be there to allay suspicion,” Aizen explained, “I apologize for my cruelty in subjecting you to that, Tetsuya. But if you’ll think back to your own incarceration, you will remember your own desperation to escape. I anticipated that you would be there for several days, giving Byakuya and me time to escape into Hueco Mundo. I know it will not erase the discomfort that you suffered, but your sacrifice was not for nothing. I am seeking to separate myself from the hogyoku.”

“I heard that is what you’ve convinced my cousin you were going to do,” Tetsuya seethed, “but I am not naïve enough to accept that you are doing this out of the goodness of your heart!”

“I am not,” Aizen agreed, “At first, I wanted to separate from the hogyoku with the intent of destroying it.”

“I heard that too,” Tetsuya mused, “But if you really expect me to believe that you would desire giving up eternal life…”

“Eternal life has its own price,” Aizen explained, “It is difficult to explain without having a common reference point. But the core of it is that living forever means being separated from all that moves within the universe.”

He noted the brief flash of understanding in Kisuke’s pale grey eyes and the little nod of assent the shopkeeper gave him.

“As mortals, we mourn the loss of those we love,” Aizen continued, “and as our lives move forward, more and more of those people die. When people envision living forever, it isn’t usually alone. One usually imagines sharing that future with valued others.”

“And who the hell would you value enough to do that with?” Renji said accusingly, “You betrayed your friends and comrades. You used the Espadas and betrayed them in the end too! Why should we believe for a minute that now, all of a sudden, you want other people there with you?”

“Every living being craves the presence of others like him,” Aizen reasoned, “That is not an unnatural desire. And having no means of creating another immortal…although Ichigo was an otherwise very worthy creation, I have concluded that my desire to live eternally is not sensible, especially considering the changes in the hogyoku that have taken place.”

Kisuke’s eyes suddenly glinted in anticipation and he gave Aizen a tentative nod.

“Now we get to the truth,” the shopkeeper commented, “Why don’t you tell us about those changes? I’m sure that it will give us a much better picture of your thinking. But before you answer, maybe you should let me in to see Byakuya. If he’s injured…”

“He is in stasis,” Aizen said, making the others fall silent and stare at him in disbelief.

“You put my cousin in stasis?” Tetsuya managed in an incredulous tone, “Why would you do that? His injury is that serious?”

“It is,” Aizen affirmed, “It will take our combined abilities to mend what is wrong with Byakuya, but I am determined that we will. Before we do that, however, I need to be sure that you are as committed to saving him as I am.”

“What do you mean?” Ichigo snapped, stepping forward, “Byakuya’s my friend. I’m not going to just let him die!”

“Maybe you want to know what is wrong before you brazenly assert yourself like that,” Aizen replied in a chilling tone that made the others look back at him warily.

“Understand first, that while I did abduct Byakuya and bring him with me, planning to kill him as part of the ritual of separation, as we have made our way through the desert, things have changed.”

“Oh?” Renji said sarcastically, “How’s that? You decided to keep him a hostage forever, forcing him to…”

“Byakuya is content now to spend the rest of our lives together.”

“Right, he’s going to spend his life with a bastard like you!” Renji exclaimed, reaching for his sword, only to see it shimmer and disappear, “What the…?”

“Byakuya made this decision after learning a number of facts about my motivations and my past that changed the way he looks at me.”

“Oh, so it’s the old, _I had a terrible childhood, so it’s okay for me to be a backstabbing, murderous animal_!” Renji objected, “I grew up in hell and so did Tetsuya, and you don’t see him or me, killing people right and left and lying to everyone.”

“I am not asking you to forgive what I’ve done because of the atrocities committed upon me in the past…”

“Yeah, what atrocities are those?” Renji sneered, “Did someone peg you for the asshole you are and figure out your lies too soon?”

“My family was incarcerated by Central 46,” Aizen said calmly, meeting their eyes directly, “I was identified as a power that the sages would not be able to guarantee control over, so they murdered my family and they tried to kill me. If not for Kyoka Suigetsu, I would have died with them. Instead, I escaped, and I planned to make sure that such a thing never happened again. I murdered the council that murdered my family and I set out to end the king and the noble clans from which the sages came. Everything I did was done with that in mind. What I did was horrible and it was wrong, but it was not nearly the surprising thing you think. Ask yourself what you would have done if anyone appeared in the dark of night and dragged your families away, then killed them and tried to kill you.”

Aizen turned his quiet gaze onto Ichigo.

“You remember how the rules were that Byakuya was following when he first encountered you and he tried to kill you,” he went on, “You did not just accept the death they imposed on you. You fought back. I did also, though I did darken myself by toying with and taking innocent lives along with the guilty. I will not apologize for trying to overthrow the government that destroyed my childhood and my family.”

“You have some proof?” Ichigo asked, scowling.

He made a sound of surprise as Kisuke placed a restraining hand on his arm.

“What?” he inquired, “You’re not buying into this bullshit, are you?”

A soft, piqued breath escaped Aizen as Rukia stepped out from behind Renji and Tetsuya, with Orihime at her side. She looked up at Aizen fiercely.

“Ichigo,” she said solemnly, “remember that when Byakuya adopted me as his sister, I became part of a noble family. And even though I wasn’t around the manor so much, when I was, I did learn things that a lot of people don’t know about the noble families and the lengths they go to for pride, status and power. Honestly, I wouldn’t put the Central 46 council past ordering something like what he says. As you said, it doesn’t excuse what he did, but it makes a little more sense when it comes to his reasons.”

“Problem is,” Renji interjected, “that the government is still corrupt. That hasn’t changed. And that makes me suspicious when you say you want to separate from the hogyoku. I mean, is this for real…or are you just planning to use the hogyoku in some other way?”

Aizen considered his words carefully for a moment.

“The hogyoku has been affected by the closeness of our souls,” Aizen explained, “And this has led it to change in some ways.”

“Like?” Kisuke asked, his eyes glinting with curiosity.

“The hogyoku no longer just concerns itself with what others desire. It experienced my past as though that past was its own. It has seen the cruelty I was exposed to, and it felt the betrayal and hatred that I did. As the hogyoku connected with the events of my life, it began, as you can imagine, to become aware of its own will. Among the things that the hogyoku came to desire was life…a life of its choice.”

“You’re saying that it wants to come to life?” Kisuke asked in a wary tone.

“Yes,” Aizen confirmed, “At first, the hogyoku made me promise that when we arrived at the palace, I would kill Byakuya as a sign of loyalty. I agreed to this, but quickly realized that while I was focused on the trip through the desert, the hogyoku was focused on bringing Byakuya close to it. You see, it lived in some ways through its connection to my past…and from my past, it gained an _affection_ for Byakuya.”

“The hogyoku fell in love with Byakuya?” Kisuke mused, “That’s just not possible…”

“I felt the same at first. But, I watched as Byakuya interacted with the hogyoku and slowly educated the spirit within. The hogyoku fell in love with Byakuya, but quickly learned that Byakuya’s heart was turning in my direction.”

“That can’t be true,” Rukia objected, “You turned Byakuya against me and you turned Renji against him!”

“I did,” Aizen agreed, “But when Byakuya saw the treachery of Central 46’s assault on my family, and he learned that such things continue now to happen, he devoted himself to holding the council accountable for what was done and helping me find justice. After the hogyoku and I are separated, Byakuya and I plan to marry and raise our family at Kuchiki Manor.”

“And you think that Central 46, even though they’re not the ones you slaughtered, are going to forget what you’re capable of?” Kisuke said, shaking his head, “No way. There’s no way that’s gonna happen. Even with the precedent to censure the past council posthumously, that doesn’t change what you did. They’re not going to let you go, even though the law may indicate it.”

“I believe Byakuya has a plan in mind,” Aizen said, “however, that plan is in jeopardy because of Byakuya’s injury, so we need to heal him.”

“Fine,” Kisuke said stiffly, “But first, I need to know what it is we have to heal. What happened to Byakuya?”

Aizen took a steadying breath.

“He was scratched or perhaps bitten…by a hollow vamp.”


	18. Love Immortal

Kisuke and the others stared at Aizen for a long moment, in stunned silence, the awful words repeating in their disbelieving minds.

“A hollow vamp,” Kisuke repeated in a rough, stricken voice, “You’re absolutely sure?”

Aizen nodded and glanced in the direction of the cave.

“I was with him when it struck. I did try to protect him, but as you know, some very powerful hollow vamps can hide in a semi-corporeal state, in the shadows. The only reason we are both alive is because I rest in a state of partial awareness. I never was very trusting of the others around me.”

“Right,” Kisuke acknowledged, “Probably wise, considering you were leading powerful hollows and flanked by that crafty little snake, Gin.”

“Yes,” Aizen agreed, “I needed the constant danger to help me connect with the hogyoku and evolve. It went without saying that to have ever placed my life in their hands would have been a fatal mistake, at least until I transcended. So, I protected myself carefully while in sleep.”

“Apparently, that _protection_ didn’t extend to my cousin!” Tetsuya snapped, breaking away from Ichigo and advancing on Aizen, “This injury he’s suffered is because of _you_! Byakuya-sama wouldn’t even be here to be bitten if you hadn’t kidnapped him! I may not be able to kill you right now…!”

“Whoa! Easy there, Tetsuya,” Kisuke said, setting himself between the younger Kuchiki and the traitor, “This isn’t good for you to be so agitated.”

“He’s right,” Renji agreed, slipping an arm around Tetsuya, “It upsets your reiatsu and that’s not good for you or the baby.”

“Tetsuya is pregnant?” Aizen mused, looking more closely at the young man.

“That’s none of your goddamned business!” Renji fumed, holding Tetsuya protectively, “Just let us in to help Taicho!”

“You want to help him, you say?” Aizen asked, looking into Renji’s narrowed eyes, “You say this despite the fact that Gotei rules clearly say that a shinigami infected with transformative reiatsu must be killed? How do I know that you won’t kill him, if I let you in there? Any one of you, for that matter?” Aizen asked, frowning.

His eye fell on Orihime, who stood silently at Rukia’s side.

“The only one of you who I know will commit to healing Byakuya and not harming him is Orihime..”

“I’m not killing my taicho!” Renji objected.

“I would never harm my cousin,” Tetsuya added.

“And Byakuya is my brother,” Rukia insisted, “If there’s hope of him being healed, I want him to be healed.”

“And I already told you,” Ichigo said sternly, “Byakuya is my friend. I’m not killing my friend unless there’s no other choice.”

“Quite the band of rebels,” Aizen mused, a little smirk touching his lips, “But, what about you, Urahara Kisuke? Will you also promise to help Byakuya and not to harm him?”

“Why would you trust my word, if I said that I would?” Kisuke countered, “You’re not a trusting person.”

Aizen looked back at the others.

“You’re right about that,” he agreed, “And I only feel comfortable risking the intercession of these whose commitment to Byakuya assures me they want him healed as badly as I do. Though…you are scientist, and a very talented one, aren’t you?”

“Meaning?”

“I am a scientist too, as you are aware,” Aizen continued, “I know that great curiosity can cause a man to take some risky steps. And you are a man who has a reputation for stepping out of bounds if he feels that the reasons are good enough and the challenge is worthy, aren’t you?”

“Was that a compliment or are you insulting me?” Kisuke asked, tilting his head and giving the traitor an amused look, “Look, Byakuya and I have had our differences, mostly over my tendency to work in grey areas, but I don’t want him dead. He’s actually one of the most sensible leaders and despite our differences, I consider him a friend. I agree with Ichigo, that we should make every effort to save Byakuya before abandoning hope. I’ll help you, but with the understanding that if we can’t help him, I will euthanize him humanely. I know that’s what he’d want.”

He paused for a moment, thinking further and shook his head.

“He’d probably order me to kill him now and not toy with the danger of trying to heal him, but…”

“Very well,” Aizen said, stepping aside, “We should begin, but before we do, I should warn you that at the time Byakuya was bitten, we had just learned he is pregnant.”

The others stared back at Aizen in disbelief.

“That can’t be,” Tetsuya said incredulously, “Byakuya-sama is not a breeder male.”

“I thought Tetsuya was one of only a few left,” Renji added.

“He is,” Kisuke confirmed, “but because some of the natural breeder males who were born concealed their ability by choosing female partners, there are some discovered in unexpected places, from time to time.”

Tetsuya pulled free of Renji and moved closer to Aizen.

“Tell me,” he demanded, his voice shaking with raw emotion, “If Byakuya-sama is pregnant, then whose child is he having? Is it yours or is it the hogyoku’s?”

“The hogyoku could do that?” Ichigo asked.

“Not in its original form,” Kisuke answered, “but if it’s changing, like he claimed, then maybe.”

“Who fathered Byakuya-sama’s child!” Tetsuya shouted, brushing off Renji’s hand as the redhead tried to take hold of him.

“The child is mine,” Aizen answered quietly.

“And did Byakuya-sama lie down with you, a traitor who had harmed his family, willingly? Or did you…?” Tetsuya seethed.

“Byakuya made his own choice,” Aizen answered solemnly, “Although he didn’t forget my past actions, he realized, as I did, that Central 46 was, and is being corrupted.”

“You’re a fine one to talk to us about corruption,” Rukia said in a low, angry voice.

“Aizen-sama,” Orihime said suddenly.

She froze for a moment. Coloring as she saw the looks that the others gave her.

“That’s a pretty respectful way of talking to such an unsavory guy,” Kisuke cautioned her.

“Aizen Sousuke,” the human girl corrected herself, “you didn’t…use your powers to…?”

“No,” Aizen said more softly, “As I told you, Byakuya made his own decision.”

“He probably didn’t know that he was going to get pregnant,” Kisuke surmised.

“No,” Aizen affirmed, “and when we learned of his impregnation, he was, as you will understand, alarmed, although he very much wants this child.”

“Of course he was alarmed!” Tetsuya exclaimed, choking on the words as tears filled his eyes, “Because he knows that if he is found to be having the child of a traitor, Central 46 will order the child to be terminated!”

“And,” Rukia added, “The presence of a child with you will make Central 46 question whether Byakuya’s disappearance was really a kidnapping, or if it was a plan to break you out of Muken!”

Renji’s face went white and he gave Aizen a killing glare.

“They could _execute him_ for that!” he realized.

“Good work,” Kisuke said, his voice dripping with sarcasm, “If you wanted to completely destroy Byakuya, who knew that getting him to fall for you would do it?”

“I didn’t know that Byakuya would be impregnated,” Aizen said sternly, “The hogyoku, if it knew of the possibility, did not tell us. And I assume it didn’t know, because, being in love with Byakuya, it would have wanted to prevent me fathering a child with the one it loved.”

“I guess that makes sense,” Kisuke said, shaking his head, “Well, we’ve got our work cut out for us. Let’s go in and see what we’ve got here.”

Aizen and Kisuke moved to the cave entrance, where Aizen touched the barrier, admitting the group. They entered the darkness of the cave and looked down at Byakuya’s frozen form.

Rukia and Orihime clapped their hands over their mouths and the men sucked in surprised breaths at the sight of the partially transformed noble.

“But, I put him in stasis,” Aizen whispered in a shocked voice, staring at the unmoving beauty’s deathly white flesh and partially revealed fangs, “How…?”

“I thought it might be this way,” Kisuke said, swallowing hard, “The stasis stopped his body moving and his heart beating, but it doesn’t stop transformative cells from affecting the cells around them. That exchange doesn’t require kinetic energy, just exposure. It’s spreading fast. I’ll be honest. His chances aren’t good. But, I think we have the right people here to give him the best chance of survival. I just…I have to think quickly.”

“How can I help?” Aizen asked.

“We’ve gotta find a way to stop the spread, something that can act as a buffer, but anything made of spirit particles isn’t going to stop it. Not Rukia’s ice, not Tetsuya’s water or Ichigo’s raw reiatsu. It’s all made of spirit particles. The only thing I can think of is my bankai.”

Aizen gave him a curious look.

“Your bankai, you say? I don’t believe you ever showed it to anyone. Like me, you passed your exams and got approval without showing it…although I merely showed an illusion. Your performance without having to show it was…impressive, I heard.”

Kisuke started to reply, then frowned instead.

“What is it?” Aizen asked.

“You have a bankai?” the shopkeeper asked, “You’ve never used it?”

“Only in my inner world, and I did not need it in my plans, so I never trained it,” Aizen explained.

“What is it? What does it do?” Kisuke asked quickly.

Aizen gave him a dubious look.

“I don’t think it will be useful,” he answered cryptically, “If not because of its nature, then because I might not be able to completely control it.”

“Look,” Kisuke said with an urgency not usually displayed by the amiable shopkeeper, “Byakuya’s life is on the line and I don’t know if my bankai will be able to create the spaces inside him that will isolate the cells. I don’t know if, even when we do that, that Orihime will be able to reject the incursion! And if we try that and fail, then we may not have time before Byakuya is fully transformed. If you have a power that can help…”

“My shikai is actually more complicated than just the stealing of senses to induce an illusion. The effect becomes momentary reality for the target,” Aizen explained.

“How is that different?” Renji asked, “I don’t see…”

Kisuke’s eyes widened in realization.

“Shit…” he breathed, “Maybe we’d better not play with an untrained bankai related to something like that.”

“I thought you would see it that way,” Aizen agreed, “Although, as a very last resort, I would use it, I won’t unless there’s no other choice.”

“All right,” Kisuke said, his eyes still slightly rounded with shock, “we’ll start with mine.”

He moved closer to Byakuya and knelt at the noble’s side.

“I’m gonna enclose him, so you don’t see what my bankai does to his body.”

“It won’t…” Aizen objected.

“It won’t permanently harm him,” Kisuke explained, “but he will look…pretty bad. I will be able to see, but you will be shielded. It’s only going to be while Orihime begins her rejection of the hollow vamp’s reiatsu in the already affected cells. While she works, I want Tetsuya to provide a layer of water in all of the openings in Byakuya’s body. Don’t let your water touch the affected cells, or they’ll jump to the rest of his body.”

“What can the rest of us do?” Rukia asked worriedly.

“Just stay close,” Kisuke answered sternly, “If this goes wrong, it’s going to take all of us to…to _handle it_.”

“Do you mean…?” Ichigo began.

“Yeah.”

Kisuke took a steadying breath and freed Benehime from the cane shaped sheath. He gazed down at Byakuya silently for a moment, gathering himself.

“Bankai, Kanonbiraki Benehime Aratame!”

The ones within the cave watched raptly as Kisuke’s power blossomed and the coldly beautiful body of the red princess formed above him. He took aim on Byakuya’s body, sending odd looking stitches across the floor of the cave and sending them into Byakuya’s kido enshrouded body. Tetsuya breathed a command to his weapon, sending his water into the area and allowing the shopkeeper’s power to move it as needed. Kisuke was silent for several minutes, then he nodded in grudging satisfaction.

“Looks like everything’s isolated,” he said finally, “Orihime, I want you to focus on the cells that I’ve marked with kido. We’ve done something similar before.”

“I remember,” Orihime assured him.

Her power joined with the shopkeeper’s.

“They’ll go where you send them,” Orihime informed him, “Just direct them to what you want rejected.”

“Got it,” the shopkeeper said, brushing a hint of sweat from his forehead.

He angled the golden power, threading it carefully between the affected cells and Tetsuya’s protective water.

“Okay, this is it,” he said, carefully sending Orihime’s power into a spiral around the errant cells, “Give it everything you’ve got, Orihime. If you can’t reject this…”

“I will,” the human girl promised fiercely.

“Go on, then.”

Orihime’s hands extended over Byakuya’s shielded body and she closed her eyes, gathering herself. She loosed the full reserve of her ability, smiling as it wrapped around the designated area and sank down into Byakuya’s frozen form. All eyes watched as the golden color flared brightly.

“I think it’s working,” Kisuke breathed hopefully, “Just keep on…”

The shopkeeper suddenly went still, his eyes rounding again and his hands shaking.

“Oh no…” he whispered, closing his eyes.

“What is it?” Rukia cried.

“Kisuke!” Ichigo shouted.

The shopkeeper’s grey eyes opened again, and the others gasped in shock and dismay at the beginnings of gold fire that had invaded the dark centers.

“Oh god!” Renji gasped, going white so that his tattoos stood out starkly on his skin.

“The transformative reiatsu jumped into Orihime’s power,” Kisuke managed breathlessly.

Rukia screamed as she spotted the same golden light invading her human friend’s eyes. Tetsuya stiffened and Renji howled in dismay as the golden invasion began in his husband’s blue orbs.

“What do we do?” Ichigo yelled, “Kisuke…!”

“Get out!” the shopkeeper panted, reaching into his clothing, “I have to…all of us…we…”

Kisuke gave a soft grunt of pain and collapsed as Aizen’s kido power suddenly struck him.

“What are you doing, you bastard!” Renji snarled, rounding on him.

“What am I doing?” Aizen asked calmly, “I am doing what he suggested. Stand back, I warn you, I have not ever used this power outside of my inner world.”

“Do you even know if it will work?” Ichigo asked in a frantic voice, backing away as Tetsuya and Orihime began to quiver and shake violently, “What can you possibly do to fix this? Look at them!”

“You’re right, I can’t fix this,” Aizen agreed, his voice oddly tranquil as he gathered his power.

“You don’t even have a sword,” Rukia objected, “How can you…?”

She went silent as Kyoka Suigetsu began to form in Aizen’s extended hand.

“Kyoka Suigetsu needed a lot of time to recover,” he explained, “and I have never asked him to use this power. I am not sure how well we will manage it, considering his current state and the fact that my powers have been sealed away for so long. But the hogyoku is assuring me that this is the only avenue we have, now that Kisuke’s effort has failed. Be assured, if this fails, then none of you will live to see the calamity it will bring down on us. I am protected by the hogyoku, but everything around us…all of you, Soul Society, the living world and even the heavens could pay the price. This…is why Central 46 wanted me dead before I ever knew my sword’s name. This…is the power they rightfully feared.”

“What are you gonna do?” Renji asked, his voice shaking as Tetsuya’s mouth opened, revealing bright, gleaming fangs, “They’re transforming so fast!”

“Bankai,” Aizen said softly, “Sekentouei, Kyoka Suigetsu.”


	19. My Reality

“Bankai, Sekentouei, Kyoka Suigetsu.”

The scene playing out in front of Aizen Sousuke flashed strangely and began to slow. Gradually time seemed to stop, and he gazed quietly at the chaotic scene that had erupted in front of him. At his feet, Byakuya had come awake and shattered his bonds, and his wickedly beautiful hollow vamp form froze while lunging at him, hateful golden eyes blazing and his white fangs bared and seeking. Behind Byakuya, Urahara Kisuke, stopped as he had crawled onto his hands and knees, glared hungrily at Ichigo, whose eyes had gone wide as he backed away, raising his sword in defense. But a step behind him, death waited in Orihime’s hauntingly lovely vamp form, as she bared her fangs and fired herself at the back of his neck. Rukia’s body was stretched out in the air as she made a desperate attempt to stop Orihime from reaching Ichigo. Renji knelt where he had crashed down under the force of Tetsuya’s sudden attack, his sword driven through his fully transformed husband’s heart and his face a mask of agony.

“Unacceptable,” Aizen whispered, staring down at the blade that had formed in his hand.

A shimmer in the air beside him slowly resolved into the body of a tall, pale man with striking emerald eyes that seemed to look through him. Those eyes fixed on him, bearing deep measures of pain and loneliness.

“Kyoka Suigetsu.”

“Master,” the sword greeted him, “It has been a long time since you called my name with such desire. I thought it might be just an illusion I conjured to comfort myself.”

“It was no illusion,” Aizen assured him.

The spirit turned to study the horrifying scene Aizen had frozen.

“Fate is cruel,” the spirit said softly, “but sometimes people given a choice are cruel too.”

Aizen nodded in agreement.

“But, as you said to me, when you first revealed our greater power, _no man’s fate, nor his choices will overcome our will_ ,” he reminded the spirit.

The spirit froze for a moment, staring at him in surprise.

“You want to use your bankai?” he asked, his voice shaking slightly, “Why?”

He moved forward, studying the twisted faces of the transforming shinigamis and human more closely.

“None of these people have ever mattered to you,” he commented, “save, perhaps Ichigo.”

“No, they did not matter to me,” Aizen agreed, “Not until…”

The spirit’s eye fell on Byakuya, and he stepped closer to the transformed noble, admiring the dread loveliness of the vicious monster he had become. Kyoka Suigetsu’s pale hand extended, and he frowned as he sensed what laid within the Kuchiki leader’s breached core.

“Ah, I see,” the spirit sighed, “So, this is why you’ve chosen to abandon your immortality? This one you love and this child?”

“No.”

The spirit blinked and gazed at him curiously.

“I had already decided to separate from the hogyoku,” Aizen explained, “While it did make me immortal, conditions within the orb have changed, and I no longer wish to remain connected to it. To be more cleaer, the hogyoku has begun to display it’s own desires, its own will. There was no expectation of that, either when Kisuke was conducting his research, nor when I conducted mine. I am curious to go back and understand why and how this happened, but let us just say, for now, that unexpected things have made me choose this path.”

“But now that you have, something threatens your choices,” the spirit surmised, “If things move forward from here, Byakuya and all of the ones here will die. You won’t die, but you could be infected and made a hollow vamp too.”

“I could,” Aizen agreed, “and I would very much like to avoid that. So, tell me again what I must do.”

“You are sure that you want to do this?” Kyoka Suigetsu.   
As I told you before, the consequences could be devastating.”

“I am positive. There is no other choice.”

Kyoka Suigetsu smiled.

“There are always other choices. Some are just not palatable. I am just making sure, because once we begin, there is no going back.”

“To the contrary,” Aizen said sedately, “This is all about going back.”

“It is.”

The two turned their focus to the blade in Aizen’s hand that had begun to burn brightly at the invocation of his power.

“Sekentouei,” Kyoka Suigetsu said calmly, “World Reflection. This power makes the world your canvas. It freezes time and allows you to shift reality. You have stopped time. Now, you must give the second invocation.”

“Kokugen-Matsurotouei,” Aizen added, his focus intensifying as his power began to build.

“Time-Fate Reflection,” Kyoka Suigetsu intoned, “Our shikai allows you to shift the reality around a target or a group of targets, by affecting their senses. This bankai allows you to hone in on a point in time and to affect the senses of one person, so that the reality for all can be changed. But as I cautioned you before, when I showed you this power, it is dangerous and difficult to control. You will be disoriented as you are cast back through time, and it is possible to miss the targeted time. And if you are skillful enough to reach the exact moment you desire to change, you will have only the opportunity. You can affect any person’s senses, thus, perhaps, changing their choices, and the canvas will be repainted with the new fate you inflict. But be careful. Understand that the change in reality may have repercussions.”

“Yes,” Aizen remembered, “As the canvas of our reality is redrawn, reality itself will be unstable.”

“It will require a tremendous outlay of power to hold reality together. As reality shifts for everyone, your body will be tested with such strong pulses of power that once the shift is complete, you will lose consciousness. If you are not strong enough, your body could die, although the hogyoku would then revive you and restore you eventually. If you lose control, reality will break apart and the worlds will crumble. Even if everything goes as you wish, there may be damage to you, to others, or to the three worlds. You are rolling the dice, not just for yourself, but for all of us. Choose well, my master.”

Aizen turned his attention to the scene in front of him, extending an opened hand and watching as time began to roll in reverse. He watched as Orihime moved backwards, her eyes losing their demonic shine and her teeth and fingers losing the sharp. Pointed tips. He watched Renji’s sword exit Tetsuya’s body and the wound it had made close and disappear. Kisuke came back to his feet and the group moved back to the cave entrance, then disappeared, riding backwards on Bawa-Bawa’s back. He watched himself undestroy the hollow vamp, smiling then, as he viewed his last coitus with Byakuya in reverse. He slowed as he reached the point where they had arrived at the cave, then he froze the moment they had entered.

He gazed quietly at Byakuya for a moment, reaching out and touching the noble’s face gently before turning to himself and thinking more deeply.

_Ah, but we were not the only ones in the cave, were we? There was someone else._

_The vamp._

He walked slowly to the back of the cave, gathering his power around him as he went.

_If I choose to affect Byakuya or myself, we could fail to stop the vamp and be affected anyway. But…if I affect the senses of the vamp…_

He found the nearly invisible creature, clinging to a shadowed area of the ceiling at the back of the cave. Slowly, he positioned himself and touched the hollow vamp with the tip of his blade.

 _This is risky_ , Kyoka Suigetsu warned him, _If the vamp senses the intrusion…_

“Kukogen Matsurotouei,” Aizen breathed, overtaking the creature’s senses.

Through the hollow vamp’s eyes, he spotted Byakuya and himself entering the cave. He fogged the creature’s senses, so that it saw two much more powerful hollows that would easily overpower it. The vamp bared its teeth hatefully, but well aware of the danger to itself, it crept across the ceiling, staying at the dark edges and avoiding contact with the two hollows it sensed. As it neared the two hollows, one turned and spotted it. White fire lanced from the hollow’s hands, striking the hollow vamp and burning it into nothing.

 _You have changed your fate_ , Kyoka Suigetsu whispered, and the two observed as the Aizen of the past carefully checked the cave for any other invaders. Finding none, he set a strong barrier in place, then moved in close to Byakuya and began a slow seduction. The two made love, as before, but this time, there was no interruption in their sleep. They woke to the sound of Bawa-Bawa’s hearty roar, and left the cave to meet the others.

 _You have chosen the path_ , Kyoka Suigetsu acknowledged, _Now drive your blade into the ground. Hold onto it as you feed your power into it and everyone’s fate will be rewritten._

Aizen’s brown eyes narrowed and he felt the warning hum of reiatsu as it built in the sword, then escaped the tip, spreading out, over the expanse of the three world, curling around and encompassing everyone. Light flared and blazed blindingly around him and he tightened his hands around the hilt of his sword reflexively.

 _Can you feel it?_ Kyoka Suigetsu hissed in an aroused voice, _It’s amazing, isn’t it? How changing one being’s choice resounds across the whole canvas of reality. And not knowing how that hollow vamp’s future would have been, we don’t know all of the consequences. The vamp’s death was only hastened by a short time, but look how reality is strained!_

Burning pain erupted in Aizen’s body and white fire surrounded him, and in the hot, satin flames danced the ghosts of the old fate that he had averted. They circled around him, baring their fangs, hissing their hatred and promising death.

 _Fate does not like being thwarted_ , Aizen mused.

The burning in his whitelit form intensified, bringing him to the ends of his tolerance. He closed his eyes tightly and his jaw and hands clenched, as though holding on to the ends of reality’s canvas and keeping them together by an act of sheer will.

 _Master_ , Kyoka Suigetsu said in a worried tone, _you are losing control_!

In Aizen’s fevered mind, the players in the two realities spun towards each other and tried to merge. He sensed there was disaster waiting if he allowed them to touch, so he sent a throb of power to push them apart again and refocused on the reflected canvas of the worlds that was being redrawn. He panted out Kyoka Suigetsu’s name, but ominously received no reply. At the edges of his strength, he clung to his awareness for as long as he could, before crashing down into darkness. As his mind lost awareness, he was sure that he heard Byakuya’s voice speaking to him.

“Sousuke,” the noble called out, “Sousuke, what just happened?”

XXXXXXXXXX

Aizen woke to a loud ringing in his head and the odd feeling of being unable to move. He sensed that someone was beside him, and that he was lying down.

“Don’t try to move,” Byakuya’s voice warned him.

“I’ve been bound again?” Aizen mused dazedly, “When I lost consciousness, you took me back to Muken?”

A cool, wet cloth touched his face gently.

“What are you talking about?” Byakuya asked, “You are not bound, but you…did something that injured you.”

He sensed that the noble was leaning closer and heard Byakuya’s voice drop to a whisper.

“The hogyoku informed me that you used your bankai to save us…to save me. Sousuke, that was horribly reckless!”

The traitor managed a creeping smile, but the rest of his body remained frozen.

“It was worth it.”

“Hmm,” Byakuya huffed disapprovingly, “You don’t even know if you are permanently damaged yet. You shouldn’t be making bold statements like that. What have you done, Sousuke? What did this to you? Was this just the effect of your power, or did something go wrong?”

Aizen blinked, and very slowly, his eyes came into focus. He found himself lying in a soft, comfortable bed in a darkened, wood-paneled room.

“Where are we?” he asked.

“We are in my family’s archive,” Byakuya explained, “After you collapsed, I left a return point in that cave, and led everyone here to rest and eat. Because this archive actually sits in a small pocket dimension, a corner of the royal realm, we cannot be sensed. We are safe here.”

Aizen breathed in more deeply and sat up in the bed, sparking an instant objection from Byakuya, who placed a restraining hand on his chest and coaxed him back down.

“Don’t try to get up,” the noble scolded him, “Do you know what you somehow did to yourself? Your spirit centers, your core…everything was destroyed. If not for the hogyoku…”

Aizen relaxed against the pillows, looking up at Byakuya’s lovely, worried expression.

“Do the others know what I did?” he asked curiously, “Did you tell them?”

Byakuya bit his lip gently and shook his head.

“The hogyoku explained to me, but warned me never to speak of it. Apparently, when you shifted reality, it caused all of us to lose our memory of whatever fate befell us. I asked the hogyoku not to divulge to me the specifics. I do not think I want to know.”

Aizen smiled.

“Then, I will shoulder the memory for all of us. You are probably wise not to want to remember. Although, you may still have dreams about it. It is a side effect of the shift.”

“Such a dread power,” Byakuya said anxiously, “and such a price.”

“What price?” Aizen asked, reaching up to touch the noble’s comely face, “We are all alive and well. And it seems that although I am sure it was a powerful temptation, you and the others didn’t opt to just return me to Muken when I collapsed. I do appreciate that.”

Byakuya gave him a skeptical look.

“I think it is more that the others want to see the hougyku separated from you. That…and they felt that, even though they don’t know how you saved them, you did save them.”

“I need Kisuke and probably Orihime alive for the removal process,” Aizen said matter-of-factly, “And the others are of value to you.”

“They are my family and friends,” Byakuya agreed, “Thank you for saving them. Thank you for saving me.”

“You are welcome.”

The two men looked up at the bedroom door as it opened and Kisuke stepped into the room. The shopkeeper gave Aizen a look of mild surprise.

“Awake already?” he mused, shaking his head, “I was thinking it would be a few more hours before you’d grace us with your wit.”

He moved to Aizen’s bedside.

“You mind if I have a look at you?” he asked.

“It’s fine.”

“I don’t know what you did or why you did it. Byakuya said that all the hogyoku could tell him was that you used your bankai, and that it saved our lives. I know you have selfish reasons for doing that, but I, for one, appreciate not dying. Don’t think that means I’ll let my guard down with you. I’ll help you with the removal of the hogyoku, but beyond that, I can’t make any promises.”

“I will not ask for you to make any promises,” Aizen answered quietly.

Kisuke sighed and scowled down at his hands, where they moved over Aizen’s bared chest and muscular abdomen.

“Your spirit centers were burnt to a crisp. If it was anyone _not_ fused with the hogyoku, you’d be looking at being powerless for good. But, we’re just not that lucky, are we?” Kisuke said smirking, “You’ll be powered down for awhile. I’d say you won’t be much help if we get into trouble. Now, you don’t have to worry until the hogyoku is removed. It will undo whatever damage you take, but after, you’re gonna be pretty vulnerable. And I think you know that’ll be a temptation to anyone who’s ever met you.”

“I will not let anyone harm you,” Byakuya said firmly.

Aizen’s smile warmed.

“I’m not accustomed to accepting others’ protection, but it seems there isn’t much choice. How long do you think it will be before we can resume the mission?”

Kisuke frowned thoughtfully.

“I think we can have you on your feet in a day or so. And while we’re grounded, I’m looking over the references Byakuya sent. I may need to make a run back to my lab to check some hollow references, but I’d say we’ll have enough to make the trip back in a couple of days. In the meantime, rest, eat like a maniac and try not to run any power through your recovering spirit centers. They need to restore themselves gradually and it will hurt if you start working them too soon. I’ve placed limiters to keep anything but life support amounts from flowing through your body. Happily for the rest of us, you’ll be running so lean on power that the Gotei 13 probably _won’t_ sense you once we go back and try to come after you too soon. You know if we’re all seen together…”

“I am aware of the likely response,” Aizen assured him, “I will not use any power.”

“Ichigo, Renji, Rukia and Tetsuya will be providing protection for us when we return to Hueco Mundo. If there’s trouble, let them handle it…and if they can’t, I will.”

“Hopefully more capable than before,” Aizen said, smiling cryptically.

“I don’t think I want to know what that means,” Kisuke sighed, shaking his head, “Remember what I said about resting.”

Byakuya watched as the shopkeeper left, then settled in Aizen’s arms, resting his head on the other man’s shoulder.

“How long was I unconscious?” Aizen asked.

“Two days,” Byakuya answered softly, “I knew you would recover, but it was…unsettling, seeing you like that.”

“Well, the worst is over, isn’t it?”

“Is it?” Byakuya asked, closing his eyes, “Even once you are well enough to leave here, you will be powerless, Sousuke. And even though you cannot die, all of us can.”

“It must be a burden to have to rely on your own strength, but I have complete faith in you.”

Byakuya scowled.

“Need I remind you that the reason you are lying there in that weak state is because our strength failed?”

“You will be more careful this time,” Aizen assured him, “What happened, happened partially because of my lack of caution.”

“And mine,” Byakuya insisted, “Your power was a safety net, and we have drained it before even entering the ancient palace. If we face worse than what we already have…”

Byakuya froze as Aizen captured his hand and kissed the soft palm.

“You will rise to the occasion and decimate whatever stands before you, my love. I know you will.”


	20. Moments of Light

Aizen Sousuke woke unexpectedly to find himself in what he was sure had to be a finely crafted illusion of complete and utter contentment. The gentle scent of sakura filled his senses, and he opened his eyes to find his face rested on a bed of gently fragrant raven-colored strands. Byakuya laid naked and curled in his arms, his comely face tucked under his lover’s chin and one pale hand resting on the little bump that had formed on his otherwise trim belly. Aizen’s fingertips slid down to trace the curve of the small raised section, and his eyes widened slightly as he connected with a small, but vibrant reiatsu.

 _Our child will be very strong, deadly powerful_ , he thought, _I hope he or she inherits Byakuya’s beauty, that angelic face and wide, dark eyes._

He blinked slowly as the hougyoku spoke into his mind.

 _Isn’t that odd? Aizen Sousuke dreaming of such mundane and normal things_ , the orb’s voice commented _, Are you actually hoping that something like this could come to pass? Aizen Sousuke, the would-be king, instead settling for becoming a shinigami father and raising children?_

Aizen found himself smirking.

 _It does seem strange, but oddly satisfying_ , he confessed inwardly, _I’m sure you’ve sensed that there was a time when that was all I expected my future would hold. There was a time when my own life was simple…the simple, quiet life of a peasant. But while I was still an impressionable child, that simple life was stripped away. I was taken from my family and they were killed. I was caged like an animal and my life threatened. I realized then that the simplicity, the safety I had always felt…it was all a lie. We were never really safe. Life was never really simple. It was an illusion more grand than any Kyoka Suigetsu and I have ever created._

_And who was it that created the illusion?_

_Those arrogant noble men and women who controlled the bulk of the wealth of the Seireitei. Outnumbered by the commoners, they needed a way to ensure that their dominion over the civilian population would never be challenged. So, they put in place rules and policies meant to protect them, and to inhibit anyone who would question, who would rise up and challenge. The unscrupulous ones made it their policy to find and destroy anyone from the Rukongai who could possibly stand up to their corruption._

_It was these people who ruined my simple, safe life and turned me into a monster, yes…a monster who lied, who betrayed, who killed without remorse._

He watched silently as Byakuyas dark grey eyes opened slowly and focused on him.

“Sousuke.”

_I judged all of the nobles to be responsible, for if they hadn’t been involved in the travesty of justice that led to my capture and the destruction of my family, then they either knew and did nothing, or they didn’t care enough to look at what their brethren were doing to us. I blamed all of them._

_All of them._

_Not just the ones who were part of my family’s destruction. Not just the ones who caged me and tried to end my life while I was an innocent child. No, I blamed the ones who turned a blind eye and the ones who were too ignorant to notice. And I even blamed the ones who tried to bring fairness. Their efforts weren’t enough, so I blamed them all. I used my illusions to blind them and I walked from one to the next and murdered them heartlessly as they sat in their seats and wondered what was causing the pain that erupted so suddenly. Their blood splashed onto my clothes and skin, and I wore it proudly. My heart held no remorse and no regret as I meted out the punishment that I felt they deserved. I then turned my wickedness on the Gotei 13, on my comrades who had been used to employ the wishes of that corrupt group of noble councilors. I used Rukia in my plans and took pleasure in hurting Byakuya, who had disappointed me by becoming one of them._

_I knew the bridges that I was burning, and I didn’t care for a moment._

“What is that look in your eyes, Sousuke?” Byakuya asked softly, touching the elder man’s face gently, “You look…conflicted.”

Aizen smiled and drew him in for a long, penetrating kiss that left a blush on the noble’s pale face and throat.

“You do confound me, Kuchiki Byakuya,” he said, cupping a hand around his lover’s soft cheek, “You challenge my notion that the noble clans are devoid of men of intelligence and heart. You defy my contention that there are no champions of justice among the nobles. You stymie my attempts to paint all of your brethren with the same brush. You are different. You are an enigma. You are quite special.”

“You only say this because I carry your child now,” Byakuya objected, “You are looking at me through different eyes now.”

“And these eyes through which I am looking right now are seeing you clearly,” Aizen said, kissing his way along a fine-carved jaw, then placing another below the blushing earlobe, “Yes, I see you clearly, Byakuya.”

He coaxed the noble onto his back and lifted himself slightly to admire the large expanses of sweet, white flesh, the flustered expression and hungry, dark eyes. He kissed Byakuya again, running his tongue along the noble’s lips and plunging inside to savor him.

_You are a noble son, one who stands at the top of their society, and yet, you look at their wickedness and want to end it. You look at their misdeeds and you want to stop it. You abhor the example they have set, and you want to rewrite it. Byakuya, where I would just have destroyed them, you want to rewrite them, bringing back in truth the safety and simplicity to our lives._

_That is an admirable intent._

He nuzzled beneath Byakuya’s chin, tilting his head back and attacking his soft throat with biting kisses and hard suction. The noble moaned, arching upward and gazing at him with a beautifully wanton expression.

_Oh my love, you don’t know what you awaken!_

He couldn’t get enough of Byakuya’s sweet, warm flesh and he descended the noble’s slender, beautiful body, kissing and biting, tasting in long, slow licks and pausing to tease the raised pink nubs on Byakuya’s pretty pale breasts. His fingers laced together with his lover’s, and he held Byakuya’s hands down and pinned his body, then rubbed amorously against him as he began to work his way downward. Byakuya gasped and moaned loudly, writhing under Aizen’s devilishly pleasuring lips, teeth and tongue…his roving, teasing fingers, the glaring eyes that burned into his, promising unholy delights.

Aizen paused, looking down at the promise that laid beneath the pronounced bump on Byakuya’s lower abdomen. He bent to kiss the place lightly, offering the reeling noble a sly smile before making his way downward to the parts of his lover that most desired his attentions. He paused again, admiring Byakuya’s flushed and desirous nether parts, then fell on the area, offering tickling licks, tender kisses and enthralling suction that left Byakuya groaning and sweating, his back arched and his lovely face scrunched in bliss. He lifted his hips eagerly to meet the wetted fingers that arrived to prepare him, and when the invading fingers slid away, he spread his thighs wide and clenched at Aizen’s hips as the man positioned himself and began a slow, teasing entry.

_He doesn’t look like a good noble son now, does he? With those handsome eyes riled, his hair tumbled, his body surrendered and willfully at my command. No, he is more like the rebellious boy I remember._

_I do love seeing him like this._

He ceased his gentle intrusion, thrusting hard into Byakuya’s panting form. The noble cried out in mingled pain and arousal, thrusting upward wildly and clinging to him tightly as his heavy, grinding movements continued. For a moment, everything else was forgotten…the lines that separated them, the wickedness that had caused him to lie and betray, the betrayal that had separated them and left both alone. Everything disappeared into the amorous joining of their undulating forms. Their riled reiatsu flared and sparked around them as their pleasure rose, and until it peaked and the two gasped and shivered, giving themselves over to the gripping shudders of a violent release.

Aizen collapsed onto Byakuya’s sweat dampened body, indulging his lovely partner in a flurry of finishing kisses. They rested quietly together, exchanging slower, gentler kisses caressing each other’s faces and hair as their sated bodies gradually calmed.

“What a lovely display,” Aizen sighed approvingly, “You are a wonder, Byakuya.”

“You drive me to near madness,” Byakuya whispered, “I know it is dangerous to desire you, foolish to surrender to you and reckless to let you inside me. But, there is nothing I can do. You destroy my defenses, Sousuke. I have no means to resist you, no way to fight your advances.”

“Yes, you are helpless in these arms,” Aizen chuckled, smirking at him, “But you needn’t fear me anymore.”

“What good would it do for me to fear you?” Byakuya sighed sleepily, “Fear is only useful if it can save you.”

“That is true,” Aizen laughed softly, “So, don’t waste your fears on me. Love the danger, the clinging darkness and the threat of death. I will bear you through it all and keep you enslaved in this endless affair.”

“Will you?” Byakuya asked, looking amused, “I don’t know if I should believe you. You have lied so often before.”

“But you feel the truth now, ne?” Aizen inquired, kissing him on a flushed cheek.

“I do.”

Byakuya sighed, looking down at his plundered body.

“I should bathe,” he said wearily, “Urahara Kisuke will arrive soon to check my progress. I would rather the rest of the world did not see me in this state.”

“I agree they should not.”

Byakuya gave Aizen a questioning look, earning a warm smile in return.

“My love,” he said curving a hand under Byakuya’s fine-carved chin, “You are too enchanting to resist. I would have to kill anyone who looked on you while you are this way.”

Byakuya slid out of the bed and climbed to his feet.

“Well, then, I had best go and bathe before someone has the misfortune of walking in on us and obligating you to kill them.”

He headed into the bathroom and turned on the shower. He stepped in, under the pleasant fall of hot water, letting it run in streams down the length of his fully revealed body. A sigh of contentment escaped him as the water seeped into his hair, warming his sensitive scalp and soft neck. It dripped off the ends of his hair and fingers and splashed down at his feet. He breathed in the billowing steam and sighed happily, closing his eyes.

_Things are still dangerously uncontrolled all around us. We still have to reach the ancient palace and to unravel the mysteries of the mystical blade that lies there. We need to free the spirit of the hogyoku. And when that is done, we must ensure that Sousuke receives the justice that was never done in the past. Not only that, but we must make sure that such horrible things never happen again._

Byakuya blinked and flinched as strong arms wrapped around him from behind, pulling him back against Aizen Sousuke’s naked chest. He made a sound of deep contentment as the elder man’s teeth nipped at his earlobe and Aizen’s hands caressed a thick lather onto his slick torso. He groaned languidly, enjoying the play of those hands all over his slick flesh. A hand slid down, between his thighs and found his awakening length, then fed it with slow, deliberate strokes that sent little quivers through the noble’s insides and teased him mercilessly as the hungry twinges in his greedy loins made him thrust wantonly into Aizen’s pleasuring hand.

“Oh my,” Aizen purred in his ear, “You seem to have no shame, my love. You give in so easily. You had best be sure you give in only to me!”

“Oh!” Byakuya moaned heatedly, “Oh, Sousuke!”

Aizen’s fingers traced his lips as they moved in the invocation of his name. He followed his fingers with tender, penetrating kisses as he pressed forward, rubbing his own slicked body against Byakuya’s and earning even more riled sounds from his raven-haired partner.

_Byakuya is such a lovely and passionate creature! Freed of obligation, he just glows so entrancingly. All I want is to be hopelessly entangled with him. Luckily, he seems to feel the same._

Aizen pressed forward harder, capturing Byakuya’s slender thigh and lifting his leg to wrap around a wet hip. He shifted, positioning himself, then he began to enter the trapped noble. Byakuya’s hips bucked eagerly, forcing them into a faster joining and making Aizen groan in reaction. His hands gripped the noble tightly and he delivered a ringing volley of hard, swift thrusts that brought both men to the edges of their wits, then sent them tumbling over and into wild spasms of release. Byakuya barely remained on his feet and he leaned heavily against his lover as the water rained down on the two, slowly washing the lather from their bodies. They left the shower and dried off slowly, then they slipped into soft, clean yukatas and returned to the bed, which Byakuya’s attendant had stripped and made freshly for them. A few minutes later, a soft knock sounded on the bedroom door.

“Come in” Byakuya invited the person.

The door opened and Urahara Kisuke entered the room with Tetsuya and Renji beside him.

“Hey,” Kisuke greeted them, “I hope you don’t mind, but I thought that since we have two pregnant shinigamis here, I would get through the examinations in one fell swoop.”

“That is fine,” Byakuya answered calmly.

He sat quietly as Kisuke leaned over him, first taking readings of his vital signs, then drawing blood and reiatsu samples. He repeated his efforts with Tetsuya, then he left the room.

“How are you feeling, Tetsuya?” Byakuya asked.

His cousin smiled as Renji’s arm curled around him.

“I am feeling much better, as the worst of the sickness seems to have faded quickly. I am just very hungry all of the time.”

“I feel the same, although I seem to vacillate between feelings of sickness and hunger,” Byakuya chuckled.

Kisuke returned to the room, wearing a pleased expression.

“You two are doing fine,” he said approvingly, “I’ve just asked Torio and Koji to fill the two of you up with food before we leave again. And I’ll have Aizen and Renji give you infusions of reiatsu to make sure everything’s stable before we continue on to the ancient palace. I’ve found some good information to help us pinpoint the right spot, but there wasn’t a lot to help me figure out any more about the mystic blade we’re gonna be using. Hopefully, there will be something there to put us on the right track. I think we’re almost ready to go. We just need to make sure everyone’s rested and well fed, then we’ll get underway.”

“I just hope that we are able to successfully remove the hogyoku,” Byakuya sighed, shaking his head, “I do not feel good, going into this with so little helpful information.”

“Well, if anyone can use what we have and devise a proper plan, it is Urahara Kisuke,” Aizen said confidently.

“Thanks,” Kisuke said, smirking in amusement, “That’s a pretty big compliment, coming from you.”

“I am pleased you think so,” Aizen answered, “Just be sure that you prove your worthiness by keeping us all alive and well during this task.”

“Can’t make any promises,” the shopkeeper said more seriously, “But, I’ll do my best.”


	21. Diablo's Rest

Byakuya stood silently in front of the mirror in the dressing area of his room within the Kuchiki archive, watching as Torio dressed him in fresh clothing, then wrapped a thick, warm hooded cloak around him. He could see the worry in his attendant’s eyes, and rather than brush the matter off as he might have been inclined to do, he met Torio’s gaze and cleared his throat softly.

“Torio.”

The young man froze, looking back at him questioningly.

“Sir?” he inquired respectfully.

“You seem troubled.”

Torio considered for a moment, then sighed and nodded in agreement.

“I know that this is a dangerous journey, but…I wish very much that you would allow me to go with you and help to protect you. I assure you that, while it is partly an emotional decision to ask this, it is also sensible, considering that you and Tetsuya-san are with child, and may suffer from power fluctuations that could affect your ability to protect yourselves. And while I don’t doubt that the others going with you will try to protect you, they also have to focus on their mission. If you take Koji and me, we can simply put our focus on you, so that everyone else can give their best to the mission.”

Byakuya considered for a moment, then gave Torio a look of mild amusement.

“I notice that you carefully avoid mentioning your lack of trust for the man I am in love with,” he noted.

A flush roared over Torio’s face and he looked down at the floor.

“S-sorry,” he stammered, “It is not my place to judge your decisions, of course. But…”

“But Aizen Sousuke is a dangerous man,” Byakuya said calmly, “and even though I am in love with him, I fully understand that, to do so is to invite danger.”

“Byakuya-sama!” Torio exclaimed anxiously.

“It is fine,” the Kuchiki leader answered, nodding, “Have Tetsuya or Arashi conceal your presence, and remain that way unless there is a direct threat to us.”

“Hai!” Torio said, bowing.

Byakuya watched as he left the room, pausing for a moment and inclining his head politely as he passed Aizen, who was entering.

“Sousuke, is it time to leave?” the noble asked.

“Yes. Everyone is waiting near the archive entrance.”

“Ah,” Byakuya said, starting towards the door.

“Wait,” Aizen said, touching a hand to his shoulder.

Byakuya frowned and turned back to face him.

“What is it, Sousuke?”

“I want to speak with you for a moment before we leave.”

Byakuya gave him a disapproving look.

“I hope you are not going to suggest I should stay behind,” he said sternly.

“Oh, I know exactly how far that would get me,” Aizen chuckled, “Even if that was my desire, the hougyoku has made it clear that it is our fate to see this through together. That being said, it will be important for you to allow the rest of us to protect you and Tetsuya.”

He smirked at the derisive look he received from Byakuya in reply.

“Come now, you know that your condition is going to cause disruptions in the flow of your reiatsu. Should this happen while you are in battle…”

“I have already considered that,” Byakuya said dismissively, “I suppose I cannot blame you for being concerned, but trust me when I tell you, I have prepared for this journey. You need to keep your focus on the hougyoku, and on the task that awaits us when we reach the ancient palace.”

“I assure you, I will,” Aizen replied, still smirking, “but I will be watching you closely, Byakuya. You carry our future inside you. Should we be lucky enough to escape this with our lives, I wish to embrace that future.”

Byakuya relaxed, allowing Aizen’s arms to curl around him, and he met his lover for a long, deep kiss. Then, the two left the bedroom and walked to where the rest of the group waited. Renji stood near the archive door, his arm around Tetsuya. Rukia and Ichigo stood with Orihime near Kisuke, and Byakuya could sense the two Kuchiki attendants hidden in the shadows. He moved forward and extended a hand, connecting his mind with the token he had left behind in Hueco Mundo. A glowing doorway opened up in front of them in response to the Kuchiki leader’s action, and in twos, the group crossed over into Hueco Mundo.

Upon entering the desert, the group found the two spirit steeds waiting for them. Aizen joined Byakuya astride the noble’s paint stallion, while Renji and Tetsuya climbed onto Tetsuya’s Arabian. Kisuke nodded in approval.

“All right, you’ll need to make sure you keep the infusions on a steady schedule. That will reduce the chances of power surges and failures, if we’re forced to fight. We’ll be heading northeast from here. There are some really nasty beasties here, so you’ll all wanna watch your step. I’ve sent a signal out that will scare off the lesser hollows, but there’s always the chance we’ll run into a more troublesome one, so stick close together.”

The group moved forward, their eyes peering into the darkness, watching and sensing for any kind of threat.

“Ichigo, I want you to take to the air and scout a little ahead of us, so we don’t get surprised by anything.”

He watched as the shinigami substitute removed the flight device that Yoruichi had given him, and rose up into the air, where he began to scan the area around them.

Rukia walked alongside Orihime, the two chatting softly as they went. The group progressed without incident for several hours before being forced to find shelter in a rocky cave as a sandstorm swept through.

“How are you doing?” Renji asked Tetsuya, smirking as his husband removed some rations from his pack and began to eat, “You look like the cravings have started up again.”

“Mmhmm,” Tetsuya agreed.

Renji chuckled as he spotted Byakuya availing himself of his own rations.

“Looks like you’re not the only one.”

Aizen watched through amused eyes as Byakuya devoured the rations he had taken from his pack.

“Are you comfortable, other than being very hungry?” he asked, earning a smoky look from the noble.

“I am fine. Do not worry. I am taking care of myself.”

“Of course. The hougyoku assures me that your physical state at the moment is stable.”

He paused for a moment before continuing.

“He also wishes for me to tell you that he is glad that my bankai was able to save you. He is working tirelessly to assist me in choosing the path that will lead to the desire you indicated to him. He…wishes to do this as a last gift before exiting my body.”

Byakuya paused, drawing in and holding a breath, then exhaling slowly.

“Do you think he will speak with me?” the noble asked.

“Perhaps.”

Aizen opened his shirt, exposing the orb that was still fused with his chest. Taking a steadying breath, Byakuya let his fingertips touch the crystal, and after a moment, felt his surroundings change as he was drawn into the hougyoku’s inner world. The spirit sat quietly on a little hilltop, beneath a tree, looking down into a pond in front of him.

“Byakuya,” he greeted the noble.

“Hougyoku,” Byakuya answered, sitting down beside him and following his gaze to the water’s surface.

“You didn’t need to come here.”

“No,” Byakuya agreed, “I wanted to come here. I know your heart is still troubled. I want to be a comfort to you…a friend.”

“You’ve already been that,” the spirit assured him, “I think you can sense that, since you and I began our interactions, my understanding has grown tremendously. I have a much stronger feeling of connection with the world outside this place, and I feel a longing to be a part of it.”

“Yes.”

“I’m still afraid.”

“Of course you are,” Byakuya acknowledged, “You are a spirit who has been denied the experience of our kind of life. Your life, so far, has been dictated by the needs and desires of others, and it is only now that you begin to feel and respond to your own desires.”

“There is so much danger in following those desires,” the spirit mused, blinking slowly, “I have been protected in the orb for so long, carelessly playing with the volatile pieces of other spirits’ lives and never really taking consequence much into mind.”

“You have become much wiser since this all began.”

The spirit nodded.

“I see now the mistakes of my master, and I have a path I wish to follow. I wait only for our separation now. I just hope that the answer is within the ancient palace. Everything in me says that my fate will be decided there. It is an end…and it is a beginning.”

The spirit made a sound of surprise as Byakuya’s slender hand slipped into his.

“Things are going to change,” the noble acknowledged, “but I think you see now the potential in the future.”

“I’m frightened sometimes about losing the ability to connect with the future we are heading towards, but all indications are that this part of the path is already set.”

“I will see you through the separation,” Byakuya promised, “I will stay close to you. I will help you, if I can.”

“You already have helped me,” the spirit said gratefully.

He paused to look up into the sky.

“You have helped him too.”

Byakuya’s head tilted slightly.

“Hmm, I am not sure how,” the noble mused, smirking slightly, “I doubt that even the presence of a mate and child is going to do much in the way of taming Aizen’s wicked nature.”

“Ah, if you really believed that, you would not be radiating such a desire to be one with him. It is changing him, Byakuya. There is no denying that Aizen Sousuke will always be a dangerous man, but you have defied fate and found what is left of his heart. He has formed a trust with you, and that is saying something. Byakuya, you can save him. You can prevent him going back to the prison. Just do not stray from the path. Keep your focus on saving him.”

Byakuya paused, letting the words sink in.

_Is this just an admonition to remain focused? Or is the hougyoku spirit saying something more?_

“Hougyoku…”

The spirit smiled.

“It’s time for you to go back,” he said quietly, touching Byakuya’s face lightly as the noble began to fade out, “Thank you, Byakuya…and goodbye.”

Byakuya opened his eyes to find himself back within the cave, and warm in his lover’s embrace. Aizen observed him silently for a moment before speaking.

“His soul feels more peaceful,” he commented finally, “He is grateful to you, both for all you have done for him, and also for you going back once more to see him before we reach our destination, and our fate plays out.”

“Sousuke, I think that he may have seen his own death,” Byakuya said anxiously, “While he did not say anything to indicate this, there is something unsettling in his behavior.”

“Yes, I have felt this too,” Aizen agreed, “but remember that the hougyoku has been changed by his interactions with you and me. He has grown, but in growing, he has lost some of his ability to see the future clearly. It is a natural thing as he prepares to become mortal, that he would lose that foresight in stages. So, as we move forward from here, he will have less of an ability to see. He will be more human. And is that not what you had in mind when you counseled him before?”

“Yes,” Byakuya admitted, “but I did not have it in mind that just being brought to life would end immediately in his death!”

Aizen’s hand squeezed Byakuya’s gently.

“You don’t know that it will end that way,” he insisted, “I understand that your instincts are causing you to see the potential for disaster in this, but you need to trust him and you need to trust yourself.”

Aizen smirked.

“I won’t ask you to trust me,” he added.

“But, you have,” Byakuya accused him gently, “In reassuring me, you ask me to trust your vision of the future. But none of us really sees.”

“When have we ever?” Aizen sighed, running his fingers through the silken lengths of his lover’s dark hair, “Even when I was making my plans, it was, in fact, arrogance to think I knew how things would play out. I made my play for godhood, and I failed to achieve it.”

Byakuya was quiet for a moment.

“You did not really want to be a god,” he acknowledged, “What you wanted, and what you still want…perhaps what you have always wanted, is justice. And through the hougyoku, you will have that.”

“You truly believe this?” Aizen asked, shaking his head, “I’m not so sure.”

“Well, I am,” Byakuya said firmly, “Every step I take now is taken with a firm vision of the future I desire for us. And I feel in you that I am not alone in that vision. As much as you try to pretend that you would not indulge, you do have the same dream, Sousuke.”

“Ah, but I do not have the faith to let fate move on its own.”

“We are not letting fate move on its own,” Byakuya said with certainty, “We are playing our role…using our wants, needs and desires to make choices that will shape our future. None of us knows exactly what will be. We only have hope.”

“I suppose you are right.”

The two looked up, pausing in their conversation as Kisuke approached them.

“Looks like the sandstorm has passed,” he informed the group, “We should move on.”

The shinigamis left the cave, pausing as Kisuke and Aizen conferred about the direction. They headed out, across the sand, their eyes searching the area around them that seemed to have gone ominously quiet.

“We’re getting close,” Kisuke said, studying the area ahead of them, “You feel that?”

Byakuya drew in a breath, closing his eyes and extending his senses. Almost immediately, he felt a radiant throb of power that seemed to encompass the area for miles ahead of them.

“Damn, even I sense that,” Ichigo pondered, looking unsettled, “What the heck?”

“It is the spirit of the ancient palace,” Aizen said solemnly, “The soul of the old hollow king is at rest, but his reiatsu still radiates through the area.”

“Anyone know where the door to this place is?” Renji joked, “Could be anywhere.”

“The spirit of the hougyoku informs me that it is a short distance ahead,” Aizen answered.

The group moved forward more slowly, all of them attending to the area all around them, wary of impending danger. But despite the almost choking reiatsu all around them, nothing moved within the radius of burgeoning power.

“Huh,” Ichigo mused, shaking his head, “and all of this is coming from a dead god?”

“Yeah,” Kisuke agreed, “You know, it’s kind of like the situation with Ywach. Even dead, all of that gathered reiatsu has to dissipate. It’s just astounding to think that this dead king’s reiatsu is still this strong after a thousand years or more.”

The shopkeeper slowed as he sensed a shift in the power around them. Little flashes of light flickered warningly as they proceeded forward a short distance, then Kisuke stopped them.

“It’s here,” he said softly.

Aizen stepped forward, opening his shirt and exposing the hougyoku, which began to glow and pulsate in response. The ground rumbled beneath the waiting group, and very slowly, the doorway opened.


	22. The Obsidian Palace

Almost immediately upon the doorway cracking open, a deep, hissing voice rose up in Sousuke Aizen's mind.

_ Welcome, Sousuke Aizen, former shinigami captain, and leader of the hollows. I have lain here, rotting, for a thousand years, anticipating your arrival. _

Aizen was careful to keep his expression calm, and his feet moving, so that the others would not notice anything unusual as they proceeded down the dark stone stairs, and into the cavernous stone building below the sand.

_ I suppose it makes sense that you would have foreseen my coming _ , he thought back, _What is it you want with me? Or should I just ask, is it really me you are interested in, or do you want the power of the hogyoku? You will take neither._

The spirit's voice laughed mockingly in Aizen's still calm mind.

_ It is just like you to be recklessly making claims about what you or others will and won't do. It makes sense for a god, or a creation like the hogyoku to make bold statements about the future, because we can see it. You, on the other hand, are failed at being a god. You can't see a moment into the future…but I have the answer to that. _

Aizen couldn't quite contain a little smirk.

_ Do you? _

There was silence in his mind for a moment.

_ I do. You see, I know that you and the hogyoku have come to me to see to your separation. Know this…you can only achieve this through the use of the Reikon Shakudo, the ancient dagger that you have come to steal. _

Aizen considered his words carefully.

_ My response to you will decide how easy or difficult you will make it for us to obtain this dagger, ne? _

_ Of course _ , the dead hollow king's voice whispered.

Aizen's lips curved downward in response, earning a curious look from Byakuya.

"Sousuke, are you all right?" the noble asked, "You've looked unsettled since we entered the tomb."

"The dead hollow king's reiatsu is malevolent," Aizen said, noting that the others had stopped with him in a large, circular chamber, "It is enough to put anyone on edge. He may be dead, Byakuya, but I still feel an awareness that transcends life. Stay close to me."

_ As though that will do you any good _ , the hollow king's hissing voice mocked him, _But, do you need a demonstration_?

Aizen's teeth clenched, and he managed only a quick word of warning as the bodies of their companions suddenly began to shimmer strangely.

"What the hell?" Ichigo exclaimed, staring.

"Tetsuya!" Renji gasped, reaching for his also raptly staring husband.

The light flared around all of the others, and amidst their surprised utterances, the dead king's voice rasped so that all could hear.

_ Shingamis and humans…hollow and hogyoku. You come to this place to unlock the secrets of the Reikon Shakudo? I must warn you, it is a trial that is likely to kill you all. Six will hold the barrier. Two will guard the balance. One will balance, god and god. Keep the balance or perish here. _

The glow around the others grew blinding, and their furious shouts turned to echoes as they slowly disappeared. Byakuya shrank back against Aizen, watching with a horrified expression as the others disappeared entirely.

"What happened? What did you do to them!" Byakuya demanded furiously.

Echoing, maniacal laughter filled the chamber, then the disembodied voice continued to taunt them.

_ I am dead. _

_ I did nothing. _

_ You brought the pieces and now they are in play! _

Byakuya started to speak to Aizen, but found himself silenced again as the hogyoku in the traitor's chest began to hum with an odd vibration. Aizen's brown eyes glared in fascination as a billowy cloud of reiatsu emerged and very slowly, the reflection of the hogyoku's body that Byakuya had formed, manifested in front of them. Byakuya gasped.

"What…?"

"What is this?" Aizen demanded.

The environs began to shake violently and very slowly, a black stone altar rose up out of the ground at the center of the room. The reiatsu of each of their missing companions flared powerfully, then gradually seemed to join with the others. Byakuya's eyes closed and he extended his senses, frowning in dark curiosity.

"I feel their presence," he told Aizen, "They are alive, and they are still here, but…"

"Six will hold the barrier," Aizen reminded him, "I think what that meant is that somehow their souls have been captured and placed in formation around the palace ruins. This will protect all of us as we attempt to find and use the Reikon Shakudo."

"The voice also said that two will guard," Byakuya remembered.

Aizen nodded.

"May I assume that this refers to the two attendants you have had following us for your protection?"

"My…?" Byakuya said, blinking in surprise, "How did you…?"

"Well," Aizen said, smirking, "you did say that you had a plan. It makes sense that you would entrust your safety to your Torio and your cousin's Koji, as they have long cared for the two of you."

"Yes, I suppose it does," Byakuya agreed, turning his attention to the manifested hogyoku.

He waited silently, watching as the man blinked slowly and touched his own arm questioningly.

"I don't understand," he said, frowning, "Why am I here?"

Aizen moved closer to study the hogyoku's body with his eyes and hands first, then his reiatsu.

"This is a construct, not a real body," he concluded, "I imagine this means that you have a role to play in what happens next."

"I think we all have roles to play," Byakuya suggested, "However, I sense that our choices will be critical to the outcome of this mission."

"I agree with Byakuya," said the hogyoku, moving close to the noble, "You should remember what I said before. We are on the path, but this is the time when our vision of the future is clouded and our choices are most critical."

"I understand," Aizen assured him, "Just be sure that you are as careful in yours."

The three men shifted their attention to the large black altar that now occupied the center of the room.

"I remember this," the hogyoku recalled, "It was in my visions of this place."

He frowned, looking closer at the dark construct.

"But, when I envisioned this, the blade was set in the middle of the altar. I don't know how it got there, only that it was there in the visions of the future."

"Then, it seems that something must happen before we can proceed," Aizen concluded.

The three examined the room carefully, noting that upon the rise of the altar, all doors into and out of the chamber had sealed themselves.

"I do not see or feel anything that suggests a course," Byakuya said, shaking his head in frustration.

"Nor do I," Aizen agreed.

They noticed suddenly that the hougyoku's manifested form had turned and moved closer to the glassy, black altar. His eyes fixed on the reflection of himself on the surface.

"You sense something?" Aizen asked.

"I feel the presence of the blade," the hogyoku confirmed, "It's so odd. It's like the blade has a soul inside it too. And that soul…is calling to me!"

XXXXXXXXXX

Kisuke found himself unexpectedly standing on a barrier wall, high above the place where the group had entered the underground palace. And the palace, itself, had risen out of the sand and now stood proudly upon it. Pale sand ran in streams down the sides, leaving the huge castle shining under the light of Hueco Mundo's moon and stars.

"Kisuke!" Ichigo's voice called out, running towards the waiting shopkeeper.

Kisuke turned towards the sound and found Ichigo and the others running towards him.

"You got thrown out here too?" Renji asked.

"Where are Aizen and my brother?" Rukia asked frantically, "We didn't see them anywhere."

"I haven't seen Torio or Koji either," Tetsuya added, looking around, "But when they are acting as hidden guards, they use Koji's shadow ability. They are probably in Byakuya's shadow, watching over him."

"But, where are they?" Orihime wondered aloud.

"They must still be inside," Kisuke concluded, "I think that they are the ones who have to figure out where that ancient blade is, and how to use it."

Renji shook his head in frustration.

"I don't like the idea of my captain being in that place alone with Aizen and that damned blade! We need to get back in there!"

Kisuke turned away from the others, looking out, over the shifting sand as the reiatsu in the area began to swell, and feral growls and shrieks rose up in the distance.

"Well, I know you guys wanna help Byakuya, but if you ask me, it looks like there's a reason that we were all forced out here. I don't think it was to separate us all, so much as to allow all of us to provide protection."

"Protection against what?" Renji complained, "A bunch of lousy hollows? That knife concerns me way more!"

"As well it should," Kisuke said in a low, warning voice, his eyes focusing intently on the desert as shadowy figures, "Thing is, I think that the emergence of the ancient palace and the presence of the blade is attracting every damned hollow within a hundred mile radius. And the ones in this area are already extremely powerful."

"I feel kinda weird," Ichigo said, looking down at his body, "And did anyone notice, we're still glowing with reiatsu?"

"I noticed," Kisuke affirmed. "The meaning of that seems pretty simple. We were forced out here to handle these guys while Aizen and Byakuya find the blade and use it to separate Sousuke from the hogyoku."

"You mean, _hopefully_ they use it to separate Aizen from the hogyoku," Renji said skeptically, "Personally, I have more than a little feeling it isn't going to be that easy. Aizen's a backstabber, and we all know it."

"We have to hope that Byakuya being pregnant with his kid will be enough to keep Aizen from screwing us all over," Kisuke said uncertainly, "But, with his track record, you can't be too sure."

"You can say that again," Ichigo said dryly.

Renji looked out over the desert.

"The reiatsu's getting really thick out there," he noted, "What're we gonna do?"

"Well," Kisuke said, studying the palace carefully for a moment, "I see six pillars, and there are six of us. It's pretty clear we need to stand on top of them and provide defense."

"We'd better move out and get those defenses ready," Renji said sternly, "They're closing in, and it doesn't look to me like they'll be holding back anything either."

"Not to worry," Kisuke said reassuringly, "I've got a plan."

"I'm glad," Ichigo said, shaking his head, "cause that's a helluva lot of powerful hollows."

"Just focus now," Kisuke directed them, "Five bankais and a god level rejection skill says that we are more powerful!"

XXXXXXXXXX

Shunsui stood alongside fellow captains, Zaraki and Hitsugaya. The three watched through narrowed eyes as bright reiatsu swelled up in the distance and they felt the distinct touches of familiar reiatsu.

"Kisuke Urahara," the head captain said softly, "Ichigo, Renji, Tetsuya, Rukia and the human girl, Orihime."

"You don't feel Kuchiki or that bastard, Aizen?" Kenpachi asked.

"No," Toshiro affirmed solemnly, his eyes following Shunsui's out, over the shifting sands, "I can't sense them at all."

He looked up at the head captain questioningly.

"What do you think it means?" he asked worriedly.

"Well," Shunsui said, rubbing his chin, "Byakuya's shown before that you shouldn't underestimate him."

"And Aizen's not going to lie down and die without a fight," Toshiro added.

"I don't expect so," Shunsui agreed, "Most likely, the heavy reiatsu of the others is just making it impossible for us to sense Aizen and Byakuya."

"Let's hope that's what it is," Toshiro said anxiously.

"What're you yammering about?" Kenpachi said off-handedly, "Kuchiki's not dead. He wouldn't disappoint me like that when he owes me a good sparring match. And who really cares if Aizen does find a way to die? What say we get out there and kick some hollow ass? You can feel them heading over to the castle."

"Now, I told you that's a dangerous area," Shunsui chided him, "There are some really nasty hollows with transformative reiatsu, so we…"

"They're focused on the castle because of the reaitsu candle those guys are making to attract them. That means the buggers aren't going to be expecting an attack from the rear. I say we give'em one they won't forget."

Toshiro rolled his eyes.

"Didn't you hear a thing that the head captain just said?" he scolded the barbarian captain, "If you get scratched or bitten by…"

Toshiro's words stopped, and he stared in surprise as golden reiatsu swelled around Kenpachi's body.

"Anything touches _this_ reiatsu and it's going to burn up way before it gets to me. You sissies do what you want to do. I'm going!"

"Eh," Shunsui sighed, reaching up to scratch the back of his neck, "looks like he's doing his own thing."

"He always does that!" Toshiro snapped, "One of these days, he's going to get himself, and maybe all of us, killed!"

"Heh, let's just try to make sure that day's not today," Shunsui chuckled, "Let's move the troops forward. I'm sure before the end of this thing, we're going to be needed in this fight."

"I hope you're wrong," Toshiro said, his eyes following in the direction Kenpachi had gone, "but I have a feeling you're right."

"Come on," the head captain urged him, "we need to get into position. That castle reappearing like that is a sure sign that something really big is about to happen. We need to be ready to get in there and help out if things get nasty."

"Tell me honestly," Toshiro requested, "Do you really think that Aizen's going to follow through with what he said? He's going to give up immortality?"

"I'm not sure," the head captain confessed, "That's a hard call."

"On the one hand, I can't see why in the three worlds he would do that," Toshiro reflected, "After all, no one really wants to die. But…if you're the only one who lives forever, and your life becomes a routine of watching everyone else pass, and you go on. If worlds begin and end, and you see it, and you know that nothing except you lasts forever…then forever can start to feel like a burden, don't you think?"

Shunsui gave him a little encouraging smile.

"Let's hope our ex-buddy, Aizen feels the way you do…or we'll have more than transformative hollows to deal with out here.

"Right."

"Okay, let's move!" Shunsui said, his voice hardening, "Let's make sure they have a clear path back to us!"

"Let's hope they come back," Toshiro said, looking at the palace with worried eyes.


End file.
